AHMEDABAD: What initially appeared to be a tragic road accident in Ahmedabad’s Sarkhej area has now taken a shocking turn, with police alleging that the death of a 22-year-old woman was a carefully planned murder disguised as a hit-and-run case.
The case, solved nearly a month after the incident, has led to a murder complaint being registered at Sarkhej Police Station following an investigation by Ahmedabad Traffic Police.
According to the preliminary investigation, the victim’s father and brother allegedly planned her murder for nearly three months after a video involving the woman and a young man reportedly went viral.
The deceased, identified as Sofia, a resident of Fatehwadi in Ahmedabad, was working at a hospital in the city. On the night of August 12, she was travelling on a motorcycle with her brother, Mohammad Habil, when she was allegedly killed near Milk Dairy.
Initially, the incident was reported as an accident. Police were told that an unknown vehicle had hit the motorcycle, seriously injuring both Sofia and Habil, while Sofia later succumbed to her injuries.
However, the case began to unravel when Ahmedabad City’s M Division Traffic Police launched an extensive investigation to identify the alleged vehicle involved in the collision.
Police scanned CCTV footage from several locations, but no vehicle matching the accident theory was found. Although there was no CCTV camera at the exact spot where the incident occurred, investigators examined camera footage located some distance away.
During the probe, police reportedly spotted three people travelling on a motorcycle in the footage, with one person seen getting off the bike. Since the footage was unclear, investigators checked additional CCTV cameras along the route and began reconstructing the sequence of events.
Suspicion deepened when Habil, who was present during the incident, allegedly gave investigators an incorrect account of the route taken from the hospital where Sofia worked. As police intensified questioning, the alleged accident theory reportedly collapsed.
According to sources, Habil allegedly confessed during interrogation that Sofia had not died in an accident but was murdered, and that his father, Farooq, was also involved in the alleged conspiracy.
Police sources said a video of Sofia with a young man had reportedly gone viral around three months earlier and reached her family. Although the family allegedly spoke to Sofia about the matter, she continued her relationship with the young man, investigators said.
Police now allege that Habil and Farooq planned the killing for months, studied Sofia’s daily travel route and searched for a deserted stretch with minimal traffic and no CCTV surveillance.
Investigators alleged that the father-son duo finally selected the road near a dairy. Taking advantage of the rain on August 12, the two allegedly went to pick Sofia up from the hospital where she worked.
According to the investigation, Habil allegedly carried a hammer and attacked Sofia while she was travelling on the motorcycle. After she became unconscious, he allegedly threw her from the bike and struck her on the head again.
Police further alleged that Habil then moved the body around 200 metres away on the motorcycle, deliberately damaged the bike and injured himself intentionally to make the incident appear like a genuine road accident.
