`Murder most foul’: Wife, paramour bludgeon husband to death in North Kashmir

Srinagar: Tucked away in a quaint corner of picturesque Warpora village, a Spartan house of Ghulam Rasool Malik has become a center of attraction. 

Dozens of people are turning up to condole the death of his brother Mohammad Altaf Malik.

 Police have claimed that the 34-year-old was allegedly murdered by his wife Tasleema and her paramour Ghulam Mohammad Dar, a local apple trader.

Altaf’s sudden death had shocked the villagers as he was hale and hearty. Tasleema had created an impression that he died of a heart attack. Married to over 17 years, Altaf had shifted to his in-laws home at Ranji, Pattan in 2010  to earn his livelihood.

 “We are devastated. My brother worked very hard to improve the financial condition of his in-laws. And today everyone has seen how he has been rewarded,” said Mushtaq Ahmad Malik, deceased’s brother.

Last month, Mushtaq filed an application for an investigation into his brother’s death after smelling a rat. “We were told that Altaf had suffered a massive cardiac arrest. On reaching Renji, his wife said he died after taking a  spill. It raised doubts even though we were forced to bury the body without properly investigating it,” he said.

  Mushtaq said the murder was planned by Tasleema and Dar after Altaf got the whiff of their relationship. “Altaf’s body was kept in a dark room and his wife would often pull the curtains so that nobody notices the injuries on face and head. I somehow saw these injuries and convinced my family for postmortem,” he said.

 On March 22, Mushtaq submitted an application before police seeking a probe into his brother’s death.

 Police formed a Special Investigating Team and started the probe. District Magistrate Baramulla later issued the order for exhumation of the body. A panel of doctors from GMC Baramulla conducted the postmortem on April 2.

 Mushtaq said that the apple trader sent Altaf to Kolkata earlier last year during which he developed a relationship with the deceased’s wife.  “Even Altaf and his wife had recently returned from Ajmer. He probably noticed something is wrong between his wife and Ghulam Mohammad Dar, who had accompanied them to Ajmer. Later these two committed his murder to conceal their relationship,” he said.

 Mushtaq said the duo strangulated his brother and later hit him with some sharp-edged object. “Tasleema’s behaved as if nothing has happened,” he said.

 Police said Tasleema was put to sustained questioning during which she confessed to having committed the crime along with one Ghulam Mohammad Dar. 

 “On March 8, both gave a final touch to their plan. The woman called her paramour during the night and both bludgeoned Altaf to death. Thereafter they threw the body near a cowshed to camouflage it as death due to slipping,” said Rayees Mohammad Bhat, Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla. 

Police said both the accused have been arrested and the weapon of offence recovered. Police said further investigation is in progress.