Mumbai: Cops identify headless body of woman, arrest husband for killing her

Accused in police custody. Pic/ Hanif Patel

After 13 months long investigation, the Vasai Police cracked the case and managed to identify a headless dead body of a woman, the police said. The cops arrested deceased's husband for allegedly killing her and dumping the body on the Bhuigaon beach in a suitcase in July 2021.

Police sources said, the accused killed his wife on the day of the biggest day Bakri Eid at his house. Police are yet to find the head of the woman.

Vasai Police sources said, during the Bakri Eid the family also brought a goat for slaughtering when he killed his wife in the house.

According to the police, the deceased woman was identified as Saniya Shaikh (25) and his husband as Asif Shaikh, both were residing at the Achole village at Nalasopara.

On July 26, 2021, the Vasai Police found a headless dead body on the Bhuigaon creek in a suitcase. Vasai police registered the murder case and searched the woman identity in many resorts, lodge and also in Vapi and Daman area but they didn't find any clue, the police said.

However, a month later, on August 26 last year Saniya's relative Kamrusina Mohammad Ali from Belgaum in Karnataka approached the Vasai Police and registered a missing complaint after the entire family went missing. On suspicion Vasai Police checked all the unclaimed dead bodies and informed the Kamrusina's family about the investigations. Police had also conducted their DNA test and their blood matched with one of the dead body.

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Speaking with mid-day, Saniya's uncle Zahoor Mokashi said, "Saniya's parents died when she was around 3-years-old and one of his uncle took care of her upbringing at Belgaum in Karnataka. She had property in her village- 2 houses and a mango farm. In 2017, Saniya's uncle got her married with Asif Shaikh, the couple also has a daughter Maria. But, after the marriage the Shaikh family allegedly demanded money and her property from her relatives. They were allegedly harassing her."

He said, "we spoke to Saniya in the first week of July last year but after this her husband did not allow her to talk to us. We also came to Mumbai to meet her but he did not allow her to meet us. However, a few months back when we came again to Mumbai to meet her and visited her home we found that the Shaikh family had sold out their 2 BHK flat and they had shifted somewhere in Chembur. We also searched for them in Chembur but did not find them. They gave false information about their relocation to their neighbors too."

"On August 26, our relative Kamrusina reached out to the Chembur Police and registered a missing complaint. Chembur Police told us to approach the Vasai Police as the jurisdiction fell under them. We rushed to Vasai Police and registered a complaint. The police told us that they found a dead body in July 2021 and when we checked the dead body we found that the clothes and her body are similar to Saniya's body. Police also asked us to do a DNA test and we did that. Finally our DNA matched with the Saniya and her body was identified," Zahoor further added.

Senior Inspector Kalyan Karpe of Vasai police station said, "In DNA report we confirmed that it was Saniya's dead body and we nabbed her husband Asif Shaikh. We found out that he killed his wife for some reason and duped her dead body on the beach. We cracked the case with the help of a DNA test. We haven't found the head of the Saniya yet. We are searching the head of the deceased and took the accused into custody. We are also in search of the weapons which used in this murder."

How was Saniya killed?

A police source said, "Asif killed his wife on the occasion of the Bakra Eid in July 2021. Asif also brought a goat for slaughtering at home and while he killed his wife at home only. He also cut the neck and removed head and dumped it somewhere else to not identify the dead body. Later he packed the dead body into a trolley bag and brought the bag in a Tourist vehicle of his son-in-law at the beach and threw the dead body into the sea."