‘Ghost’ claim leads Guj officials to skeletal remains in 30-yr-old case

The remains are suspected to belong to Farzana alias Shabnam, a Mumbai resident who had come to Ahmedabad to meet her partner, Shamshuddin over three decades ago

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has recovered skeletal remains believed to be of a woman killed in 1992, reopening a decades-old case with excavation underway on Wednesday at Vatva’s Qutubnagar area, a residential locality of Ahmedabad, officials aware of the matter said.

Police suspect she was killed following a dispute linked to their relationship. (Representative file photo)

The remains are suspected to belong to Farzana alias Shabnam, a Mumbai resident who had come to Ahmedabad to meet her partner, Shamshuddin over three decades ago, and allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Police suspect she was killed following a dispute linked to their relationship, as her visit reportedly created tension within his family, the officials said.

“Shamshuddin is believed to have disposed of the body in a well inside his house, allowing the crime to remain undetected for over three decades. He has since died. The case was initially treated as a missing person matter in 1992 and did not progress as a murder investigation at the time,” a police officer requesting anonymity said.

Speaking on the matter, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Ajit Rajiyan said, “Rizwan, brother of the late Shamshuddin, along with other suspects, have been taken into custody and are being questioned. We have also started examining relatives of the accused and possible witnesses as part of the probe.”

According to police, a breakthrough in the case emerged after members of Shamshuddin’s family reported a string of disturbing incidents including claims of seeing the apparition of Farzana, which they claimed led to fear and mental distress.

“Subsequently, they approached persons offering occult remedies to address this. During these interactions, information about the killing and disposal of the body surfaced and was passed on to the police,” the officer said.

Acting on the input, Crime Branch teams verified the information and began excavation at the house. A JCB machine was deployed to dig the old well within the residential premises, leading to the recovery of the skeletal remains suspected to be human.

Authorities have since traced Farzana’s family, and DNA testing will be conducted to confirm the identity of the remains, the officer added. “The remains have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for examination and identification,” DCP said.

“If the identity gets matched, then a murder case will be registered and further investigation will be carried out,” he added.