Cleric's wife, 2 daughters found dead inside home at mosque premises in UP

The Imam, identified as Ibhrahim, had reportedly been away for some work in Deoband when the incident took place.

A woman and her two minor daughters were found murdered at their home located inside the premises of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district. They were reportedly killed with a sharp-edged weapon and were found lying in pools of blood inside their residence which was located within the mosque premises.

A few villagers protested and demanded for speedy justice when the police officers attempted to remove the bodies from the scene, when senior officials intervened and and promised swift action.(PTI file photo for representation)

The woman was the wife of the Imam of the main mosque at Gangnauli village in Baghpat, and the girls were his daughters. The Imam, identified as Ibhrahim, had reportedly been away for some work in Deoband when the incident took place.

The murder victims have been identified as 30-year-old Israna, and her two children Sofia and Sumaiya, aged five and two years respectively.

Ibrahim hails from Sunna village in Muzaffarnagar district and has been serving at Gangnauli's Badi Masjid for the last four years. His wife Israna used to teach children at the mosque compound. Her body was found by some children, who had arrived for daily lessons at the mosque.

Superintendent of police Suraj Kumar Rai, additional SP Praveen Kumar Chauhan, and circle officer Vijay Kumar reached the spot after being informed about the incident and sent the bodies for a post-mortem examination.

“We are probing all possible angles, whether it is a case of family dispute, robbery or enmity. Five dedicated teams have been formed. The culprits will be arrested soon,” news agency PTI reported, quoting Deputy inspector general (Meerut Range) Kalanidhi Naithani.

A few villagers protested and demanded speedy justice as police officers attempted to remove the bodies from the scene.