Woman murdered, body burnt in cowshed

Anantnag, Jan 10: Police on Friday arrested a man and his mother for allegedly murdering the man’s wife and later burning her body in a cowshed in the Aishmuqam area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The crime occurred on October 4 last year at Halmula, Hapatnad village.

The victim, Shabnam Akhtar, was allegedly killed by her husband, Imran Khan, 35, a labourer by profession, with the alleged assistance of his mother, Noor Hassan, wife of Mouzuddin Khan.

The crime came to the fore during the Police investigation into Shabnam’s disappearance.

“Khan had himself come up with a complaint that his wife was missing and the investigation into the case was taken up immediately,” a Police officer said.

He said following questioning, Khan confessed to murdering his wife with the help of his mother and burning her body in their cowshed on October 4, 2024.

“After the confession, a Police team, accompanied by the Duty Magistrate of Ashmuqam and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team visited the crime scene. During the investigation, the team recovered human hair, some bones, and a cellphone belonging to the deceased woman. These items were sealed in the presence of the Duty Magistrate for further forensic examination,” a Police officer said.

A formal case under FIR No 01/2025 under Sections 103(1) BNS and 61(2) BNS was registered against the accused.

“Imran and his mother were arrested and are now in Police custody and further investigation into the case is on,” a Police official said.