by Minhaj Masoodi
SRINAGAR: Ramban Police on Sunday launched a search operation after three members of a family were reported missing at Ramsoo on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Residents of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh the three were believed to have been missing after a landslide hit the national highway at Ramsoo.
SSP Ramban, Mohita Sharma had told the media that they had been informed about the missing family through social media. “The relatives have said that after receiving the messages through WhatsApp about them getting stuck, there has however been no communication with them for almost three days now,” he had media. Their phone had been switched off.
While the Police looked for the “missing” family members at the landslide-hit site, things unfolded in a rather shocking manner at home, in Lucknow.
As per a family member of the deceased, the three identified as Mahmood Ali Khan, his wife Darakhshan and son Shavez Ali were murdered by Mahmood’s other son, Sarfaraz.
The details came to the fore after the Jammu and Kashmir police traced the location of the phone to Lucknow. Sarfaraz had murdered his father, mother and younger brother in Lucknow itself. As per reports, on January 6, a body of an unknown youth with the slit throat was found at Mall Road in the Itaunja area. However, Police was unable to identify the body. After this, the two more bodies with slit throats were found in the Malihabad area over successive days.
It was after the recovery of three bodies – all killed in the same manner, that the Lucknow police is reported to have got suspicious and started a proper investigation. Meanwhile, the family members of Mahmood had already been looking for him. Mahmood’s daughter and her husband when approached had told them she had received a message from Shavez that they had left via train to visit Kashmir on January 5.
However, purportedly, a WhatsApp message from Shavez alerted his family and relatives about they being stuck at Ramsoo on the Srinagar National Highway due to a landslide. Shavez had also mentioned that the health of their father was also bad. After that, the contact was lost, and the phone switched off.
After the family members of the deceased were reported missing in the landslide, with the pictures of family members attached in media, the police were able to identify the three dead bodies.
During the investigation, Mehmood’s second son, Sarfaraz was identified as the main perpetrator and taken into custody. Mehmood had retired from Indian Oil Corporation (IOL).
Saleem Ahmad Khan, one of the relatives of Mehmood while talking to Kashmir Life on phone said the immediate motive was not known, but there was a hand of Sarfaraz in the murder of Mehmood, his wife and son, Shavez.
“The police are investigating the motive behind the murder. It is not known as of now,” he said.
He said that some of the associates of the accused are also being questioned in this regard.
