Crime Branch cracks Malwani triple murder, three held

Crime Branch Unit 11 of the Mumbai police, on Saturday, detained three people from Valsad in Gujarat. The three accused were brought to Mumbai, and confessed to the crime

The Crime Branch Unit 11 of the Mumbai police on Saturday cracked the Malwani triple murder case, detaining three people from Valsad in Gujarat. The three accused were brought to Mumbai late on Saturday evening, where they confessed to committing the crime, police said. The crime took place over money dispute and personal grudges.

Babli Sheikh, Aryan Sheikh and Shaniya Sheikh

Early on Thursday morning, a family of three — Babli Sheikh (50) and her two grandchildren Aryan Sheikh (10) and Shaniya Sheikh (10) — was found in a pool of blood after they were brutally stabbed in the early hours of Thursday. Their bodies were discovered in their ground plus one house (room no 92) in the New Collector Compound (NCC) in Malwani, Malad (West). Aryan's throat had been slit, Shaniya had stab wounds on the abdomen and Babli had wounds on the neck, chest and abdomen.

A CCTV had captured the three killers roaming in the vicinity, after which the Crime Branch roped in local informers. Both, the Malwani police and Crime branch officials, got information about the three killers and sent teams to Valsad. However, the Crime Branch Unit 11 managed to nab the three accused first. The three accused have been identified as Shabina alias Anam Sheikh, her husband Salman and his friend.

Babli was a loan shark, who would lend money on high interests. Locals would often end up mortgaging their houses with her. Investigations have also revealed that Babli would make a killing by selling alcohol from her home on dry days. Neighbours have also alleged that she was also running a prostitution racket in one of the rooms in her house.

The main mastermind, Shabina too was believed to have been involved in illegal activities. Shabina and Babli had known each other for a few years and were doing business together.

According to sources, there had been several disputes between Shabina, her husband Salman and Babli over money and property. The accused held a grudge against Babli. A few weeks ago, Babli landed a lot of money over a certain deal, which the accused learned about.

On the day of the murders, police said, the accused entered the house to kill Babli, but since both the children were in the home at the time, they also fell prey. The cops are further investigating the exact sequence of the murder.

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