Sofia Farooq who was allegedly killed by her father and brother after a video of her with male friend went viral.
The accused have been identified as Mohammed Farooq Nawabkhan, 56, and Habil Farooq, 38, said M Division traffic police inspector U B Dhakada. Police were told that Sofia was riding pillion with Habil on the night of Aug 12 when an unidentified vehicle rammed their motorcycle from behind near Samruddh Dairy.
Police said the two, who run a fabrication business, allegedly took Sofia to an isolated stretch near Gheljipura in Sarkhej and attacked her with a hammer before staging the killing as a road accident . “Investigation revealed that the accident story was fabricated to mislead police,” Dhakada said. Police said Habil had concealed an iron hammer in his trousers.
Sofia worked as a receptionist at a hospital in Juhapura. It initially appeared to be a hit-and-run case. Police later found that the accused had allegedly taken Sofia on a motorcycle to an isolated area near Gheljipura village. Police alleged that after reaching the isolated location, Habil struck Sofia on the head thrice with the hammer, while Farooq assisted him.
The duo allegedly developed a grudge against Sofia and planned her murder, claiming they wanted to preserve the family’s reputation in their community.
“The accused lodged a false complaint about an unknown vehicle and created a fake accident narrative to mislead the investigation,” Dhakada said. She was then taken to a public road, where the accused created the impression that an unknown vehicle had hit the motorcycle.