E-Paper
At large for 27 days, co-accused in hotel murders nabbed in Lucknow
Mohd Arshad, 24, allegedly executed the murders with the assistance of his father, Mohammad Badar, who was on the run since then
LUCKNOW Twenty-seven days after the sensational murder of a woman and her four daughters in a hotel in Naka Hindola area of Lucknow, the police on Monday arrested her husband and co-accused in the case, Mohd Badar, from Lucknow. The killings executed on December 31 night came to light on January 1, when the police found the bodies in the hotel room.
Mohd Arshad, 24, allegedly executed the murders with the assistance of his father, Mohammad Badar, who was on the run since then. The accused is being interrogated and further details will be shared on Tuesday, said deputy commissioner of police (central) Raveena Tyagi.
Badar was being tracked following a Lucknow police team’s investigation in Agra.
The deceased were identified as Alia, 9, Alshia, 19, Aksa, 16, and Rahmeen, 18 – all sisters of Arshad. The fifth was Asma, mother of the accused, according to the police.
Arshad was arrested after he surrendered himself to the police shortly after the incident. The police said the youth is a native of Agra, adding that the preliminary inquiry revealed that he took the step because of domestic disputes.
The youth had shot a video showing the bodies of the women and even purportedly shared it on social media. In it, he confessed to murdering his sisters and mother. He claimed that he took the step due to harassment from his neighbours. During his questioning, he reportedly told the same to the police.
As no signs of resistance were noticed on the bodies, police suspected that the women might have been given sedatives before their murders. Arshad, suspectedly, strangled at least one of them with a scarf with the help of his father. Others had their wrists cut with a sharp object.
