New Delhi: It began with a love marriage and ended with the wife allegedly being killed after the husband fell for another woman. A Valentine’s Day phone status that triggered a marital fight allegedly became one of the first signs of a relationship eventually turning deadly.
Police have arrested 22-year-old Md Lal Babu alias Zahid Ali, the husband of Sabilla Khatun (22), and his alleged girlfriend Rukhsar Khatoon (22) for Sabilla’s murder at their home in outer Delhi’s Prahladpur. On Aug 29, police said, Sabilla had stepped out of the house with their one-year-old son. A case under Section 103(1) (murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Shahbad Dairy police station and deputy commissioner of police (Outer North) Sobhit D Saksena formed a team under ACP Gourav Singh to investigate it.
Police said Zahid and Sabilla had married for love and moved to Delhi about a year ago. Rukhsar and Zahid knew each other as they were from the same district in Bihar, but the relationship started after Rukhsar moved to Delhi later, according to investigators. It led to a confrontation between the couple and, police said, arguments and fights became frequent. Police said her head was struck against the commode, and she suffered severe injuries and bleeding, leading to her death. Zahid then allegedly called Sabilla’s brother, who also lived in Delhi, and told him that she was missing. Police said Zahid fled Delhi with his son after the murder and took shelter with his cousin Md Osama in Noida.
All of them came from Bihar. The alleged relationship between Zahid and Rukhsar came to light when Sabilla saw a Valentine’s Day status on Rukhsar’s phone featuring Zahid. In her absence, Zahid allegedly called Rukhsar. When Sabilla returned, the two allegedly forced her into the bathroom and attacked her. When her brother reached the house, he found Sabilla dead inside the bathroom and informed police. What followed was a trail stretching across cities. Osama allegedly helped Zahid move towards Bihar in an attempt to evade arrest.
He was arrested earlier and is in judicial custody.