On Wednesday, August 9, a woman identified as Reshma Ravi was brutally stabbed to death after brutal physical torture by her ‘friend’ Naushad in an OYO hotel room at Pottakkuzhi near Kaloor, Kerala, where he has been working as a caretaker for several years. The woman, who suffered deep injuries on the neck, was declared dead at a private hospital near Kaloor. Kerala police arrested Naushad and also recovered the weapon he used to kill Reshma.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to killing his ‘friend’ because she apparently ‘poked fun’ at his physical appearance in front of another friend and insulted him when he refused to get into a live-in relationship with her.
The police discovered a video recorded by Naushad on his phone, minutes before he stabbed the victim. The horrifying footage showed how the accused brutally tortured her before he slit her throat with a sharp kitchen knife. At one point in the video, she was even seen pleading with the accused to kill her, a police source was quoted as saying.
Naushad, during interrogation, told the police that both of them knew each other through social media for about three years. Reshma was working as a lab assistant. The Hindu victim was from Changanassery, Kottayam.
On the day of the incident, Naushad persuaded the victim to come to the hotel. However, both entered into an argument inside the hotel room. During the argument, Naushad stabbed her using a kitchen knife all over her body,” said the police.
Naushad told the police that Reshma had made fun of some of Naushad’s physical characteristics and shared the same with her friend. He further said that Reshma had pressurised Naushad to rent a flat and move in together and when he declined the idea, she made defamatory remarks against him. Naushad also claimed that Reshma performed witchcraft on him due to which he developed physical disabilities. All these things put together infuriated Naushad and sowed the seed of revenge in him.
The accused admitted that Reshma at one point asked him to ‘kill her’ as she could not endure the mental and physical torture Naushad inflicted on her, after which he stabbed her in the neck with a knife.
The police said that Naushad made some bizarre claims and gave contradictory answers to several questions during the interrogation. The investigating officers also said that his allegation that the young woman had committed black magic on the accused was completely baseless.
The police also revealed that a case of attempted murder is pending against the accused at the Aluva East Police Station, adding that they have sought Naushad’s custody to question him further in the case.
