Voter’s ink helps police arrest woman’s killer within 48 hours

The distinctive purple-black ink mark typically used for voting on the index finger of an unidentified woman’s body became the crucial clue that led the Pelhar police to identify her and arrest her alleged killer within just two days of her murder

Mumbai: The distinctive purple-black ink mark typically used for voting on the index finger of an unidentified woman’s body became the crucial clue that led the Pelhar police to identify her and arrest her alleged killer within just two days of her murder. The body was found by authorities near the foothills of Dhanivbaug Hill in Vasai (East).

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The accused, who was found to be related to the victim, was arrested in Delhi where he had fled after committing the crime. Reportedly, he had stabbed the victim before disposing of her body off a cliff in Vasai (East). According to Pelhar police officials, the body of the woman, clad in a burqa and bearing multiple stab wounds, was found on Wednesday near the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway.

Initially unidentified, the police lacked any missing person report matching her description. The only significant item found near the body was a lubricant spray labelled “Universal Stud 5000,” commonly used for intercourse, alongside the ink mark on her index finger—a telltale sign of her participation in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

Jitendra Vankoti, Senior Police Inspector at Pelhar police station, revealed that upon discovering the ink mark, they procured the voting list to aid in identifying the deceased. Given her attire, attention was focused on female Muslim voters.

Further investigation led the police to track down the purchaser of the spray, using its serial number, through local medical shops’ records. CCTV footage revealed the buyer had purchased on the morning of the murder.

Following leads from the voting list, the police visited the house of Matavu Shah, 32, who reported his wife, Saira, 34, missing for two days. Upon viewing the CCTV footage, Shah identified his nephew, Najabuddin Sami, 21, living in Delhi, as the accused.

Subsequently, the police travelled to Delhi, arresting Sami on Thursday. During interrogation, Sami confessed to having an affair with Saira and claimed she pressured him to divorce his wife and marry her. In a fit of rage during an altercation on Wednesday morning, Sami admitted to repeatedly stabbing Saira before disposing of her body off the cliff.

Sami has been arrested under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for murder and remanded to police custody after appearing before the court on Friday.