Father, son kill 22-year-old daughter with hammer, stage murder as hit-and-run

A father and son in Ahmedabad allegedly murdered 22-year-old Sofia with a hammer over "family honour" and staged the killing as a hit-and-run to mislead the police.

In Short

• Police found inconsistencies and CCTV footage disproved accident claim
• Motive linked to viral video causing family embarrassment
• Both accused arrested after month-long investigation by police

The investigation into the fatal “accident” was handed over to Ahmedabad police by the traffic police on Tuesday after investigators suspected that the death of a 22-year-old woman was actually an honour killing, allegedly orchestrated by her father and brother after a video of her with a young man went viral some time earlier.

Police arrested the woman’s father, Mohammed Farooq, and brother, Mohammed Habil, following an investigation into what was initially reported as a hit-and-run. The victim, identified as Sofia, died on the night of August 12 while she was travelling with Habil on a motorcycle.

Sofia worked at Niki Hospital in Ahmedabad’s Bopal area. According to police, Habil was taking her home on a motorcycle when they allegedly claimed that an unidentified vehicle hit them. Both Sofia and Habil reportedly sustained serious injuries in the incident, but Sofia succumbed to her injuries.

Following the incident, traffic police reached the spot, while the police initially began investigating the case as a road accident. However, as the probe progressed, investigators began suspecting that the crash may have been staged and that Sofia’s death was allegedly part of a planned honour killing.

During the investigation, police found inconsistencies in Habil’s account. The location where he claimed the accident had taken place showed no evidence that any such accident had occurred. CCTV footage also raised suspicion because no other vehicle appeared at the location.

Police then questioned Habil, and the interrogation led to the revelation that he and his father had planned and carried out Sofia’s killing.

Police said a video of Sofia with a young man had gone viral some time earlier, creating fear of social embarrassment within the family. Her father and brother had tried to counsel her, but they suspected that she was involved in a relationship with another person.

According to the police investigation, Farooq and Habil had planned Sofia’s murder around three months earlier. They chose August 12 to carry out the plan during the rain. They selected the route Sofia used to travel to work because it had fewer CCTV cameras and remained dark, which they believed would help them avoid detection.

As part of the plan, Habil and Farooq went on a motorcycle to the hospital where Sofia worked. They took Sofia with them on the motorcycle while returning from Bopal. Habil carried a hammer with him and struck Sofia on the head with it.

After Sofia became unconscious, Habil dropped her from the motorcycle and struck her twice more on the head with the hammer. The father and son waited until she stopped breathing.

After Sofia died, Farooq and Habil continued travelling with her body on the motorcycle. They later placed her body by the roadside. Habil injured himself and damaged the motorcycle to make it appear as though they had been involved in an accident.

The two carried out the staging to prevent the police from suspecting murder.

Traffic police initially investigated the case as a road accident. However, about a month later, the investigation uncovered the murder conspiracy, following which the M Division police registered a murder case and arrested Farooq and Habil.

- Ends