Drug addict strangles, stabs mother; calls father and confesses crime

CCD at Mahim

One can call it the Bollywood-ish story of a wayward son, the one that arises when drugs take over. "Papa, I have killed mom. It just happened, now you do what you can..." is what 26-year-old Afzal Akhtar Sayyed told his father over the phone after killing his mother in Mahim West on Friday afternoon. He lived with his mother Habiba, father Akhtar and sister. Habiba was a homemaker, while Akhtar is a retired professor.

The cafe in Mahim where Afzal Akhtar Sayyed was arrested by the police. Pic/Onkar Devlekar

Afzal was getting ready to leave the city after the murder, but his greed for money led him right into a police trap. Police inspector Manohar Dhanavde of Mahim police station said, "We lured him with money. We had a friend call him back from Bandra Terminus, pretending he wanted to give him some money. When he got there, we arrested him. He was produced in the court on Saturday and remanded in police custody."

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According to police officials, Afzal worked at a call center at Seawoods, Navi Mumbai, and earned Rs 40,000 a month. But it wasn't enough for the young man, who used to spend it all on drugs, and didn't contribute to household finances. This led to regular fights between Afzal and his worried parents.

On Friday afternoon, his sister had gone to college and his father had left offer prayers. At their Mori Road, Mahim residence, he got into an argument with his mother over money, and flew into a fit of rage.

The police suspects he was under the influence of drugs. A police officer said, "He started playing loud music so that nobody could hear his mother scream, and then strangled her. He then stabbed her with a kitchen knife before leaving the house." After leaving home, he first called his father.

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Akhtar rushed home and took Habiba to the hospital. On the way, she told the police and her husband that her son had attacked her. Habiba succumbed to her injuries enroute and was declared dead on arrival.

Afzal, who was ready to leave the city, agreed to a meet his call centre friend at a Mahim coffee shop since he was in desperate need of money. "He came to the spot at around 10.30 pm, where our policemen were present in civil attire. As his friend identified him, we moved in to arrest him."

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It seems that Afzal is now experiencing guilt pangs. The officer added, "He is in a state of shock and we suspect he was under influence of drugs at the time of the incident. The family is in shock, and we are yet to take their statements. We are interrogating Afzal."