J-K govt suspends SHO, two others over lapses in Mumbai woman’s death probe

Srinagar, Sep 26: The Jammu and Kashmir authorities have suspended three police officers, including a Station House Officer (SHO), for “serious lapses” in the investigation of a Mumbai woman’s death, which was initially presented as a road accident. The case has now been handed over to the Crime Branch.

According to a press statement, the deceased was identified as 30-year-old Mehjabeen Akil Sheikh of West Malad, Mumbai. On August 21, 2025, Mehjabeen, her sister, and another woman from Ludhiana were admitted to a hospital in Jammu with injuries. The two men who brought them claimed the women had been hurt in a road accident.

Police began inquest proceedings on the basis of this version, but Mehjabeen succumbed to her injuries on August 30. A subsequent investigation revealed that she had died from a gunshot wound. This led to the registration of a murder case on September 18.

In the wake of these developments, the SHO of Channi Himmat police station, Inspector Deepak Pathania, along with two sub-inspectors, Waseem Bhatti and Rohit Sharma, were suspended for dereliction of duty and failure to detect the gunshot injury.

The case has since been transferred to the Crime Branch, which is working to trace and arrest the assailant.