Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 1: Principal Sessions Judge Ganderbal Abdul Nasir today awarded life-imprisonment to husband in wife’s murder case.
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The case originated when Abdul Majeed approached the Kangan Police Station on July 10, 2020, reporting his wife missing after she went to fetch water the previous day and did not return. Following an extensive search, Rubeena’s decomposed body was recovered on July 14, 2020, from the Nallah Sindh river. Initial investigation under Section 174 CrPC suggested suspicious circumstances leading to a formal FIR under Section 302 IPC for murder.
Detailed investigation revealed that Abdul Majeed had strangulated his wife on July 9, 2020, using a nylon rope originally used for packing boxes. To conceal the crime, he staged the death as a suicide by hanging the body. The body was then locked in another room and later moved to the bakery shop owned by the accused, where it was hidden under cardboard boxes.
Further, with the help of his brother Nissar Ahmad Khan, Abdul Majeed transported the body on a motorcycle to the Akhyal Bridge and disposed of it in the river to mislead investigation. Physical evidence including the nylon rope, stolen clothes, bloodstained cardboard and hair strands were recovered and matched to the accused and the deceased with forensic analysis. The accused also demonstrated to investigators his ability to lift the deceased’s body despite his disability.
During the trial, Abdul Majeed Khan made a formal disclosure statement admitting to the murder and subsequent attempts to cover up the crime. The prosecution presented strong circumstantial evidence backed by forensic reports from FSL Srinagar, witness testimonies and seizure memos.
While some witnesses turned hostile, the prosecution relied on the accused’s own confessions and physical evidence to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The motive included allegations of the deceased having illicit relations with the accused’s brother, as admitted by the accused in his confession.
The defense argued the accused’s physical handicap made it impossible for him to commit the crime, but the court dismissed this claim based on documented evidence and tests conducted during the investigation.
Assessing the evidence, Principal Sessions Judge Ganderbal Abdul Nasir found Abdul Majeed Khan guilty of murder under Section 302 IPC and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court acquitted co-accused Nissar Ahmad due to lack of evidence proving his involvement in the disposal of the body.
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