A 45-year-old carpenter in Mumbai, India, has been arrested on suspicion of poisoning his 20-year-old daughter's chicken biryani and then strangling her to death after she objected to his plans to remarry. Police named the suspect as Sharif Raza Hussain Khan and the victim as his daughter Rifat.
The incident took place in the Wadala area of Mumbai on October 2, less than a year after the girls' mother died of cancer. Investigators allege Khan had also intended to kill his other daughter, 16-year-old Nuzhat, but she left the property and stayed elsewhere that night.
Family tensions over remarriage
Police said Rifat and Nuzhat had both opposed their father's plans to marry again, leading to frequent arguments at the family home. Rifat was said to be particularly opposed to the proposed remarriage. The family lived in Madonna Colony in Wadala East, where Khan shared a home with Rifat, Nuzhat and his 10-year-old son Ahmed.
On the night of October 2, police allege Khan brought chicken biryani home, which had been poisoned. Rifat and Nuzhat ate the food before going to sleep on the terrace. However, Nuzhat later decided to leave because of the humidity and went to stay at her aunt Gausia's home.
Post-mortem reveals strangulation
At around 5am the following morning, Khan allegedly went to Gausia's house and told her that Rifat was unresponsive. Relatives took the young woman to hospital, where she was declared dead.
Police allege Khan initially attempted to make his daughter's death appear to have been caused by food poisoning, but concerns were raised after doctors discovered marks on her neck. An officer said: "Khan behaved strangely and took her to KEM hospital. As it was a police case, doctors performed a post-mortem and noted evidence of asphyxia with ligature compression of the neck, with samples preserved for histopathological examination and chemical analysis."
Arrest and ongoing investigation
Police said the circumstances surrounding Rifat's death and the findings from the post-mortem led to Khan's arrest on Wednesday. Khan has since been remanded in police custody as officers continue their investigation into Rifat's death.
