Jammu: Six people, including five members of a family, were found dead under mysterious circumstances here on Wednesday, prompting police to set up a special investigation team to probe the case.
The bodies of the victims, including three women, were recovered from two adjoining houses in the posh Tawi Vihar in Sidhra area around 1 am, police said, adding that prima facie, it appears that they were poisoned.
Noor ul Habib, Sakina Begum, her daughter Naseema Akhter and grandson Sajad Ahmad Magrey were found dead inside Habib’s house. The bodies of Sakina’s other daughter Rubina Bano and son Zafar Salim were recovered from the nearby house, the official said.
“A four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sanjay Sharma has been formed to investigate the incident,” Senior Superintendent of Police (Jammu) Chandan Kohli said.
A police spokesperson said a call was received from Habib’s sister Shahzada, a resident of Srinagar’s Barzulla locality, wherein she expressed apprehension that her brother might have committed suicide as he was not answering her calls.
After reaching Habib’s house, police found it bolted from inside and noticed a foul smell emanating from it. The doors of the house were broken down and four semi-decomposed bodies were found inside.
Local people informed police that the nearby house belonged to Sakina, a widow who originally hailed from Doda district and was living with her family.
When the police reached the other house, they found two more bodies there, the spokesman said, adding “Prima facie, it appears to be a case of poisoning. It is being ascertained whether it is a case of forced poisoning or the victims committed suicide.”
SSP Kohli also rushed to the spot and ordered a thorough probe into the incident.
The bodies have been shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital here for post-mortem examination, Kohli said.
Relatives of the deceased reached the hospital to identify the bodies.
“Habib was living in Jammu for the past nearly 10 years. He was helping Sakina who was trapped in several court cases related to family disputes,” Habib’s uncle said.
However, Sakina’s relatives accused Habib of not allowing them to meet her over the past four years.
“He (Habib) had completely controlled my mother and other siblings,” 17-year-old Magray’s mother, who was waiting outside the mortuary of Government Medical College, said.
She said Habib had also once attacked her when she had gone to meet her son, and accordingly she had registered a case against him.
Demanding a prompt investigation into the incident, she said there was no reason for all of them to take the extreme step.
