Laila Khan murder chargesheet filed

Mumbai Police Crime Branch investigating the murders of starlet Laila Khan (30) and five relatives at an Igatpuri farmhouse last February filed a 924-page chargesheet on Wednesday against Pervez Iqbal Tak and Shakir Hussain Wani. While Tak has been arrested, Wani is absconding.

"We have filed a chargesheet before the 37 th Metropolitan Magistrate Court. There is strong evidence against the accused, such as blood-stained weapons recovered from the farmhouse and two seized cars. Also, witnesses have identified Tak," said Joint CP (Crime) Himanshu Roy.

The accused have been booked under IPC sections 302 (murder), 363 (punishment for kidnapping), 364 (abducting to murder), 397 (robbery with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

Police recoveries include two knives, an iron rod and two wooden rods with blood stains. A Mitsubishi Outlander registered in the name of Laila and a Mahindra Scorpio of her mother Shelina Patel have also been seized. The vehicles were allegedly used by the accused to flee to Jammu after the murders. The chargesheet includes statements of 101 witnesses, nine of whom have positively identified Tak.

Laila and five family members were reported missing by her father Nadirshah Patel in February last year. The family members included Shelina (59), her elder daughter Azmina (32), twin children Zara and Imran (25) and Reshma Sagir Khan alias Talli (19).

On July 3 this year, the case was transferred to Crime Branch after Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested and interrogated main accused Tak in Kishtwar.

Tak, third husband of Shelina, allegedly led them on July 10 to the farmhouse, from where skeletons of the missing were recovered. Crime Branch claims Tak disliked the proximity of Shelina to her second husband Asif Sheikh and killed the six after a heated argument on the issue.

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