In the wee hours of 6th April, a 29-year-old man, identified as Anas Qureshi, allegedly stabbed his 27-year-old female friend, identified as Ekta, to death in the Sunny Enclave area of Kharar in district SAS Nagar, Punjab. As per reports, he entered her house on the intervening nights of 5th April and 6th April.
The girl was living with her family, and on the night of the incident, they had gone to attend a Jagran. The victim returned home late at night from work while her family was at the jagran, and Anas followed her to the house. After some time, he was seen on CCTV footage coming out in different clothes. He escaped in the victim’s car but met with an accident 80 km away near Shahbad, Haryana.
Anas is a native of Uttar Pradesh. After the accident, the accused was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Sector 32, Chandigarh. He is in critical condition. Reports suggest that he lived in a rented accommodation in Sector 38, Chandigarh and owned an eating joint in the same market.
The victim was serving as a manager in a multi-national company in Mohali. She shifted to Sunny Enclave six months ago with her family, including her mother, an elder, and a younger brother. The family had gone for Jagran on the day of the incident and stayed back for the night. Her younger brother told police she had asked her to come for Jagran, but she refused and said Anas was coming to meet her. After completing her office shift, she returned home at around 2:30 AM, and Anas was seen following her.
Anas left the house three hours later in different clothes. Meanwhile, he was seen taking some alcohol bottles with him. He took Ekta’s car and tried to escape but met with an accident.
The family was informed about the accident at around 6 AM, and the person driving the car was critically injured. They immediately called Ekta, but she did not pick up her phone. The family rushed back home and found that the doors were open. Upon entering the house, they found Ekta’s dead body in a pool of blood on the first floor near the bed. She was stabbed multiple times in the neck with a sharp weapon.
Reportedly, Ekta and Anas have been in a relationship for four years. They met at the company where Ekta was working. Ekta had informed her family that the relationship had not been on good terms for some time. Anas was allegedly mentally harassing her. Her brother Rohit, who filed a complaint in the matter, told the police that Anas attended his wedding too.
Speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, DSP Karan Singh Sandhu said a police team was watching Anas at the hospital. Once his health gets better, the police will take him into custody and further investigate the matter to find the reason behind the murder. Speaking to Hindustan Times, he said, “He will be taken into custody once he gets discharged from the hospital, following which we will seek his remand to know the exact reason behind the murder. There was no sign of forcible entry or struggle. The murder weapon also remains untraced.”
Speaking to Hindustan Times, the investigating officer said, “We are yet to ascertain the exact reason behind the murder. The incident came to the fore after the victim didn’t answer repeated calls from her maternal uncle, following which he went home to check on her, only to find her lying in a blood pool. The inconsolable family then informed the police around 9.30 AM, after which a forensic team was also rushed to collect crucial evidence.”
Ekta’s dead body has been moved to Kharar Civil Hospital for autopsy—the accused as been booked under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
