Sajid Raina
Kupwara, Apr 3: Jammu and Kashmir police Monday cracked the murder case of a seven-year-old-girl from Khurhama, Lolab stating that the girl was first strangulated and then her throat was slit by none other than her own father.
“After thorough investigation of the case by a team of police, the father of the girl Muhammad Iqbal Khatana came to the fore as the prime suspect. After cross examining him, we came to know that he had first strangulated his daughter in his vehicle and then took her to a tin shed where he slit her throat,” SSP Kupwara Yougal Manhas said while addressing a press conference.
He said that Iqbal used to fight with her wife almost every day and on March 29 morning, he had a quarrel with his wife over some issue after which his wife had even slapped him. “To vent his anger, he left his home and took a sharp knife along. His wife and locals of the area besides his own brother Showkat Ahmed had seen Iqbal’s daughter asking for Rs 5 from his father. They also saw Iqbal taking his daughter along in his Sumo vehicle,” the SSP said, adding that “Iqbal first strangulated his daughter in the vehicle after which she died on the spot. He then took his vehicle near a tin shed where he slit his daughter’s throat and left her there.”
The SSP said that Iqbal lodged the missing report of his daughter in the Lolab police station. “In the meanwhile, locals found the body of the girl from the tin shed. After post-mortem and thorough discussion with the doctors, we came to know that Iqbal had first strangulated his daughter and then slit her throat with the knife.”
The police officer said that after corroborating the evidence, Iqbal was interrogated and he confessed to the crime. “He has been arrested and the knife he used has been recovered as well,” the officer said, adding that so far investigations revealed that Iqbal was the sole accused in the crime. Police have lodged FIR number 28/22023/U/S 302-IPC at police station Lalpora, Kupwara.
