HYDERABAD: Vikarabad police suspect the accused in the sensational Moinabad double murder case planned to eliminate their creditors one by one.
This suspicion was based on the complaint of six potential victims who say they were saved by providence.
Citing the complaint, police said the accused — Kareema Begum, her husband Abdur Rahman and their relative Nayeem — had murdered two women, Abida Begum and Mahbub Bee, and had invited the six others to the same farmhouse on the pretext of repaying money borrowed from them.
The six women, all residents of Indira Nagar, told police that the accused had borrowed amounts ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh from them over a period of time. Investigators said the accused had repeatedly assured them that the money would be returned and asked them to visit the farmhouse to collect it.
Some of the women, however, delayed their visits due to personal reasons. After news of the murders surfaced, they realised that the same promise of repayment had been made to the two deceased women as well. Fearing they too may have been lured into a trap, they approached the police.
Police said the murdered women were neighbours of the accused and had allegedly lent money to them separately. As the loans remained unpaid for several months, the victims had reportedly been pressuring the accused to clear the dues.
Investigators suspect Mahbub Bee was called to the farmhouse first, strangulated and buried there. Abida Begum was later allegedly taken to the same location and killed in a similar manner.
The case came to light after family members of the victims lodged missing complaints. During the investigation, police reportedly found financial transactions and other links between the accused and the victims. On sustained questioning, the accused allegedly confessed to the murders, following which the bodies were recovered from the farmhouse premises.
Police are now examining whether more people had been called to the farmhouse using a similar pretext.
Investigation continues.