Elderly woman murdered in Srinagar outskirts, domestic help arrested

Srinagar, Jan 22: An elderly woman was found murdered inside her residential house at Mir Bagh in the Nowshera area on the outskirts of Srinagar on Thursday, officials and family sources said.
The deceased has been identified as Rashida Begum, wife of Lateef Ahmad Gangoo, an inhabitant of Mir Bagh, aged around 65 years. Family members said she was found lying in a pool of blood inside the house with her throat slit.
According to family sources, Rashida Begum’s family had gone on the Umrah pilgrimage, while her husband was the only other person present at home. He had stepped out for shopping when the incident occurred. When the husband returned and entered the house, he found his wife lying unconscious and bleeding profusely. With the help of neighbours, she was immediately shifted to SKIMS Soura, where doctors declared her brought dead.
Upon receiving information, a police team from Police Station Soura rushed to the spot and took control of the scene. The body was taken into custody for medico legal formalities.
Family sources revealed that a domestic servant identified as Gorab Malakar, son of Paritosh Malakar, a non-local from Assam, who was working at the victim’s residence, is suspected to have committed the murder and fled from the spot soon after the incident.
Police launched a manhunt and a team from Srinagar police swiftly arrested the accused near the Qazigund area of south Kashmir. He was brought back to Srinagar for questioning, reliable sources said.
The crime scene was cordoned off, and a Forensic Science Laboratory team was called in to assist the investigation. Officials said the FSL team collected samples and evidence from the spot, which have been sent for analysis. Police said they are awaiting the forensic report to establish further details.
Family members alleged that burglary could be the motive behind the murder and said looting of gold ornaments from the house cannot be ruled out. Police, however, said the exact motive is still under investigation and all aspects of the case are being examined.
A case has been registered in connection with the incident, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the precise circumstances leading to the murder.
The incident has revived memories of a similar case reported from Lal Bazar area of Srinagar in December 2021. In that case, an 85-year-old woman, Mala Puffi, wife of the late Ghulam Ahmad Sheikh, was murdered in the Behrar Lal Bazar locality. Police investigations had revealed that she was killed by her non local domestic helper, Omprakash Sah, a resident of Uttarakhand.
According to police records, the accused had attacked the elderly woman with a knife and fled with cash and jewellery. The motive in that case was robbery, and police had cracked the case within hours, arresting the accused while he was attempting to flee towards Jammu.
The Lal Bazar case had drawn attention to the issue of domestic workers being hired through private agencies without proper verification. Police had then pointed out that mandatory police verification of the domestic helper had not been carried out by either the agency or the family.
Following Thursday’s incident, concerns have once again been raised about the increasing number of domestic helpers hired from outside the region through private agencies without adequate background checks. Police sources said that lack of proper verification and documentation often makes investigations more challenging and increases risks for households.
Officials have reiterated the need for mandatory police verification of domestic workers, particularly non local helpers, to prevent such incidents and ensure the safety of families. [KNT]