Hafiz Abdullah Anan (31), maulana of Ashrafiya Masjid at Mumbra was arrested for killing his maid Razia alias Rajibi. The matter came to light on March 18 when residents staying around the abandoned Rashid compound found nine decomposed human parts. According to senior police inspector of the Mumbra police station, Janardhan Gajre, ``The body parts were in such bad condition that it was difficult to even make out if they belonged to a man or woman.''

Razia was last seen on March 14. '' When the police arrived at the masjid early this morning he warned, "There can be a lot of tension in the area if you arrest me because I'm a maulana." However, on sustained questioning he confessed to the committing the crime.

Razia worked as a maid since December 1998 with the maulana who stayed alone. She had come from Gulbarga in Karnataka seeking employment and ended up with themaulana through an acquaintance of his. Hafiz molested his maid soon after she joined him. After she got pregnant Razia relentlessly pressurised him to get married. He refused. On March 14 the maulana took the maid, who is said to be in her 20s, to the fourth floor vacant flat in Aziza terrace building nearby at noon and strangled her to death. Using a butcher's knife he cut off her limbs and other parts and flung them across the vacant Rashid compound which is used as dumping ground. The head was dumped in a sewage chamber. near the mosque. In the evening Hafiz went to the police and filed a missing person complaint.