Mumbai double murder: Cops file charge sheet against man, girlfriend

The 38-year-old had allegedly murdered his daughter and wife in January in Mahim

The Shahunagar police last week filed a 227-page charge sheet against a 38-year-old man and his 22-year-old girlfriend for murdering his daughter and wife in January.

On February 1, the police had arrested Illyaz Sayed and his girlfriend, Afreen Banu Faiyaz Sayyed for the alleged crime. (HT File)

On January 31, a fire was reported from a one-bedroom-hall-kitchen flat in Mahim, and half-burnt bodies of 30-year-old Tehsin Illyaz Sayed and three-year-old Alia were found with their throats slit. On February 1, the police arrested Illyaz Sayed and his girlfriend, Afreen Banu Faiyaz Sayyed.

The charge sheet has statements of 49 witnesses, including a taxi driver, Afroz Siddique, who led them to the accused. It explains that on the morning of January 31, Sayyed slit his wife and daughters’ throats, and left. Later, Afreen – disguised in a burkha, naqab and gloves – went to the house in Afroz’s cab and used cooking oil to start a fire, in which the bodies were burnt.

The charge sheet states that the police recovered Afreen’s blood-stained clothes from Five Gardens — she had fallen down beside the bodies at Sayyed’s flat — and the footprints from the crime scene matched with hers. “We have seized the knife and the phones of both accused. We found numerous messages discussing the murder,” said an officer.

“Sayyed claimed that after killing his wife and daughter in the morning, he met Afreen at Five Gardens,” said an officer. “Afreen disguised herself to look plump, went to the Sayyed’s house, and set it on fire to destroy the evidence. She threw her burqa near Five Gardens and went home in the same cab,” he said.

Another officer said that to ensure the crime looked like a case of suicide, Afreen used Tehsin’s phone to send him a text message saying, “We are leaving forever. I love you”. “Sayyed and Tehsin used to have regular fights because of Afreen,” he said.