Mystery unfolded: Three held for murder of couple in Hyderabad

The arrested persons are - Asghar Shaik (38), a sheep trader, Mohd Hussain (30), an auto-rickshaw driver and Mohd Salman (20), a businessman.

Hyderabad: The Filmnagar police on Saturday solved the mystery behind the murder of a couple reported at Shaikpet last month-end, with the arrest of three persons.

The arrested persons are – Asghar Shaik (38), a sheep trader, Mohd Hussain (30), an auto-rickshaw driver and Mohd Salman (20), a businessman.

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According to the police, the victims Syed Ahmed Quadri alias Zubair (45), a realtor, and his wife, Syeda Meraj Fatima (40), a dietician at a private hospital, stayed at Pioneer Enclave at Shaikpet.

“Quadri had taken Rs. 20 lakh from Asghar for starting a sheep farm at his farm house located on city outskirts a few months ago and failed to establish it. He did not return the amount to Asghar leading to animosity between them,” said an official of Filmnagar police station.

After repeated attempts to get back the money failed, Asghar hatched a plan to kill Quadri, and called him to his farm at Nadeem colony to discuss the issue where he killed Quadri with the help of his associates Salman and Hussain. The trio then took the body to an isolated place near Shahtim Talab and buried it there to conceal the evidence.

“Fearing that Fatima might inform the police about the issue between them and Quadri, the next day afternoon, the trio then went to the house of Quadri carrying a food parcel and using the door lock key they took away from Quadri, opened the door and waited for Fatima. When she arrived home after work, they strangulated her to death,” said the official. Asghar and Hussain later left the city and went to Mumbai.

The relatives of the woman on November 30 came to the house as she was not responding to the phone calls and initially suspected that Quadri had killed his wife and escaped.

The police then verified closed circuit camera footage and found three persons had come to the house during the day. After checking around 400 cameras the police caught Salman, who on interrogation admitted to killing the couple.

On his confession the police excavated the body of Quadri, from an open ground near Shahtim Talab. Hussain and Asghar were caught in Mumbai. The suspects were arrested by the police and remanded.