Mumbai crime: Man stabs teen to death for rejecting marriage proposal

Mumbai crime, Vikhroli murder, murder, man stabs teenage girl, marriage proposal, Mumbai news, Mumbai, Haroon Shaikh, Afsana Choudhary, Mumtaz Ahmed Choudhury, eye-witness, Vikhroli Police

A teenage girl in the city was stabbed to death by her ‘lover' in broad daylight yesterday, after her family rejected his proposal to marry her. Ten minutes after the cold-blooded murder, the Vikhroli police arrested the accused from a nearby area.

Shaikh lands up at Afsana's house with his parents, asking for her hand in marriage. Her father rejects the proposal, as Afsana doesn't even know him. Illustrations/Amit Bandre

According to the police, the accused has been identified as Haroon Shaikh (23), a Govandi resident who works as a driver for a chicken shop in Tagore Nagar, Vikhroli. The victim, Afsana Choudhary, a 17-year-old girl resided in the same area with her family.

Angry, Shaikh stabs the girl, when she is alone

Speaking to mid-day, her father Mumtaz Ahmed Choudhary, said, "He worked in a shop nearby and I didn't even know him. Suddenly, two months ago, he arrived at my house with his parents, asking for Afsana's hand.

Locals witness the murder and thrash him. He manages to escape, but is caught by Vikhroli police

I asked my daughter if she knew the man, but she denied knowing him." Naturally, his proposal was rejected. After this, the man went home and plotted vengeance, hatching a plan to stab the woman.

Daylight murder
Police said that around 7.30 am in the morning on Friday, the accused accosted Afsana. Vimal Dhotre, an eyewitness to the incident, recalled, "I was present at the spot when the incident took place. The accused was keeping an eye on the girl and the moment she was alone, he took advantage and attacked her."

Haroon Shaikh (23) accosted Afsana (17) at around 7.30 am in Vikhroli and stabbed her to death

She further added, "While attacking her, he yelled at the top of his voice: Agar tu meri nahin ho sakti toh kisi ki bhi nahin ho sakti (If you can't be mine, you can't be anyone else's). I thought he was hitting her, but when I saw blood drops on the ground, I rushed to rescue the girl."

The victim's father, Mumtaz Ahmed Choudhury

The victim sustained several injuries to the neck, hands and back. She was taken to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, where she was declared dead after admission. Her body has been sent for post-mortem at the same facility.

Locals thrashed Shaikh after the incident but he managed to escape and run away. The Vikhroli police were also informed, who nabbed the accused within 10 minutes of the murder, near the railway station.

Senior Police Inspector Dinesh Desai from Vikhroli police station said, "We arrested the accused immediately after the incident took place in the morning. Shaikh has been booked under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code."