MALAPPURAM: The deaths of a Malayali couple at their apartment in Gurugram, Haryana, have prompted police to suspect a murder-suicide, with investigators believing that the husband may have killed his wife before taking his own life.
The deceased are Muhammed Aslam, 30, a native of Pullavoor in Koduvally, Kozhikode district, and his wife Farhana, 28, from Nediyiruppu in Kondotty, Malappuram district. Their bodies were found inside their flat at Marina Society in Sector 68, under the jurisdiction of the Badshahpur police station, on Thursday.
Aslam was working as an IT professional at a private firm in Gurugram. The couple, who had no children, had earlier lived and worked in Bengaluru before moving to Gurugram a few months ago.
Badshahpur Police Inspector Manoj told media that the preliminary suspicion was that Aslam had killed Farhana before dying by suicide. However, the motive remains unclear, and the police are awaiting the findings of the investigation and post-mortem examinations.
According to preliminary reports, Aslam had allegedly sent an email to his employer before the incident, providing the contact details of his father and the landlord.
The bodies were shifted to a mortuary at Sadar Bazar in Delhi for post-mortem examinations. Farhana’s relatives have reached Gurugram, and the bodies are expected to be brought to Kerala for the last rites.
The deaths have left relatives and friends in shock. Muhammed Unais, Farhana’s childhood friend and neighbour told media that he was unable to believe that she could have taken her own life, describing the couple as happy and closely attached to each other.
“Farhana always had a warm and pleasant personality. They appeared to share the same outlook on life and loved travelling together. They often shared photographs from their trips on social media and would encourage me and my wife, Faseela, to join them. The news of her death came as a complete shock,” Unais said.
He said both Farhana and Aslam had held well-paying jobs in Bengaluru and belonged to educated, professional families. Farhana had completed her BTech before securing a job there. Her sister works as a teacher, while her brother is involved in civil services coaching.
Unais said he was unaware of any discord between the couple and recalled that Farhana had recently contacted his wife to invite them on a trip.
“We never knew of any problems between them. They were a model couple in our eyes,” he said.