Gujarat: Ahmedabad CB relies on DNA matching to verify identity in decades-old murder case (Lead)​

Ahmedabad, April 30 (SocialNews.XYZ) Human skeletal remains recovered from a house in Vatva’s Qutub Nagar area have led Ahmedabad Crime Branch to a suspected breakthrough in a 35-year-old homicide case dating back to 1992, with investigators now pursuing DNA confirmation to establish the identity of the deceased.​

The remains were exhumed on Wednesday from a pit nearly 18 feet below the floor of a residential property during an operation carried out with an executive magistrate, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officials, and labour teams using a JCB machine.​

Police said the excavation was initiated after credible information suggested that a woman had been murdered and buried inside the premises decades earlier.​

The Crime Branch has stated that the skeletal remains are suspected to belong to Farzana alias Shabnam, originally from Dholka, who was around 17 to 18 years old at the time she went missing.​

Officials said she had been married in Surat at a young age, had returned to her parental home shortly thereafter, and later moved to Ahmedabad.​

Investigators further stated that she became estranged from her family and was subsequently living independently in the city.​

According to police, she later came into contact with a man identified in records as Shamshuddin. Officers said the two developed a relationship and were later married.​

Investigators allege that disputes arose after she continued to indulge in prostitution, which reportedly led to tensions between them.​

ACP Bharat Patel said four individuals have so far been identified as being involved in the alleged offence.​

“A total of four persons’ involvement is found till now: Saliyabibi, now deceased; Shamshuddin; his brother Iqbal Khedawala; and Abdul Karim, friend, now deceased,” Patel said.​

Police allege that Shamshuddin, along with his brother Iqbal, Karim, and the property owner Saliyabibi, conspired to kill Farzana at the residence.​

According to investigators, the woman was brought to the house where a confrontation took place, following which she was allegedly strangled.​

Officials said the body was subsequently disposed of in a pre-dug pit inside the house and covered, with reports indicating that cement or plaster was used in an attempt to conceal the burial site.​

The property later remained largely abandoned for years, and residents in the area reportedly considered it to be associated with unexplained or “haunted” occurrences, according to police sources.​

The Crime Branch further stated that during the investigation, one relative of Saliyabibi is believed to have witnessed the burial and was subsequently threatened into silence by the accused, making them a key but reluctant eyewitness in the case.​

Police said initial intelligence had suggested that one of the primary accused was deceased; however, further verification and interrogation of associated individuals have indicated that at least one key suspect may still be alive.​

Officers declined to disclose further details, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.​

The exhumed skeletal remains have been sent to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem analysis and DNA profiling.​

Investigators have also traced a relative of the suspected victim from Mumbai, whose DNA sample has been collected to assist in identification.​

Patel said forensic confirmation will be central to advancing the case. “The DNA report will be critical in conclusively establishing whether the remains belong to Farzana and in strengthening the legal case against the surviving accused,” he said.​

Police said Karim and Saliyabibi have both died in the intervening years, while Shamshuddin and Iqbal Khedawala are believed to be alive.​

Further investigation is continuing as forensic results are awaited.​

Source: IANS