A shocking case involving love, adultery, murder and deceit has surfaced in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut where a court has sentenced a woman accused of murder to life imprisonment. 32-year-old Afshana Begum alias Nisha was taken into police custody after she set her 48-year-old friend Zeenat Begum on fire to be with her lover Pravin Kumar. She wanted to pass herself off as dead so she could elope with him. She was in love with him since their school days.
The accused was brought to justice by the testimony of the 13-year-old daughter of the deceased. The crime was discovered on 2nd April 2019 when the victim was seen dead inside a residence in the Lisari Gate police station area of Meerut, according to Additional District Government Counsel (ADGC) Mukesh Kumar Mittal’s statement on 2nd January.
He pronounced, “Zeenat was married to one Mohammad Ashraf who used to mostly stay outdoors for work. Her friend Afshana, who lived in the same neighbourhood, used to often visit her house. Afshana fell in love with one Pravin Kumar, an auto driver, and both wanted to get married, but faith and the opposition from her kin came in the way.”
The judge added, “After watching a TV serial on crime she hatched a plot to kill Zeenat in her house. One day when Zeenat came to her house, Afshana set her on fire with a gas cylinder pipe. She thought everyone would take Zeenat’s badly burnt body to be hers and she would flee with her lover. But weeks later someone spotted her and the case took a different turn. During court hearings, Zeenat’s daughter said her mother would often go to ‘Afshana aunty’s house’ and that one day she did not return.”
Zeenat’s husband immediately filed a report as she was last seen at Afshana’s house. Police discovered Zeenat’s earrings, shoes and Aadhaar Card when the place was reopened all of which indicated that she had been fatally burned. Afshana was given a life sentence in prison after being convicted of murder by Additional District and Sessions Judge Pawan Shukla.
Background of the incident
The instance is from the Lisadi Gate area of the Meerut police station where a woman’s charred corpse which was identified as Afshana, Abrar’s wife was discovered inside a house. At the same time, Zeenat, a close friend of hers who lived in the neighbourhood’s Dhalai Wali Gali went missing. She reportedly disappeared on 1st April. Ishtiaq, her brother, notified the authorities about it and further charged murder for dowry because Zeenat and her husband Ashraf frequently fought, according to him.
It was uncovered that Zeenat and Afshana were companions when the police began looking into both matters. They visited each other’s homes regularly. Zeenat went to Afshana’s home on the fateful day per their inquiry and CCTV recording. However, she didn’t return and the latter passed away soon. The police continued to look for Zeenat but they were unable to locate her.
Meanwhile, Afshana was spotted alive but she claimed to be Nisha. One day she reached the police station to submit a complaint against her boyfriend and unveiled that he had rejected her and refused to let her stay with him. She was apprehended, however, after being identified by a few individuals and a policeman present there. They interrogated her after which she divulged the entire story astounding everyone.
Afshana and Pravin were in a relationship but the family didn’t approve of their union owing to their different religious beliefs. However, she started an extra-marital affair and the two talked as well as met even after she tied the knot with another man. Afshana wanted to spend her life with her lover but he turned her down due to their separate faiths.
A few days later when Pravin Kumar came to know about the horrifying incident he rejected her. “You killed your long-time friend to have me. How can I trust you,” he asked after which the infuriated Afshana went to the police station.
Afshana’s confession
Afsana confessed during police interrogation that she wanted to be with Pravin but their religions were different. He is a Hindu and she is a Muslim. Hence they couldn’t get married. She added, “I watched a crime show on TV in which a girlfriend burns another lady alive to be with her partner. Later, she changed her name and fled with him after fabricating a death story. This inspired me to attain my true love. I concocted the entire plan without telling anyone. I wanted a woman to sacrifice and chose my friend Zeenat for the objective.”
The perpetrator further mentioned, “I quietly invited her over to my house that day and claimed that I had something important to share. We were alone in the house. Zeenat was rendered unconscious by the intoxicating tea I gave her to drink. I then removed the gas cylinder’s pipe and lit it on fire. The fire destroyed both her and my whole house. I left the house in silence and no one saw me. People concluded Afshana had burned to death, according to my plan, however, I was still alive. Abrar, my spouse also believed that I had passed away.”
