Mumbai/Jammu, July 5
Nearly a year after a Pakistan-born Bollywood starlet linked to an alleged terrorist went missing, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has thrown up a shocking revelation that Laila Khan and four members of her family were brutally gunned down outside Mumbai as part of a hit job.

According to the J&K Police, Kishtwar resident Parvez Ahmad Tak, who was married to Khan's mother Saleena has confessed to the crime.

“Tak has confessed to his involvement along with four more persons in the killing. He is a hardcore criminal with previous crime records and he had been hiding in Nepal and we nabbed him when he came to Jammu for a short stay,” Garib Dass, DIG Doda-Ramban Range, said.

However, Dass said it was difficult to arrive at a conclusion as the bodies are yet to be found. “Investigations are underway. It would be premature to say anything right now. Unless we get the bodies, we cannot say anything. We are working on other leads too," he said.

“The investigation into the case was expedited after the recovery of a Mitsubishi Outlander car in May this year. The vehicle was recovered from the house of Tak, who had brought it to Kishtwar all the way from Mumbai.

Now, the J&K Police is likely to investigate the case jointly with the Mumbai police,” said sources. Police sources said Tak and his associated had hired sharpshooters for the job. “Although Tak has claimed the family was murdered for property worth crores which they owned, we cannot rule out other possibilities. Nothing can be established until the property documents, bank transactions and other related evidences are scrutinised,” said Dass. “Tak has claimed that he could identify the place where family was killed and later disposed off but he does not exactly know the name of the place,” he said.

A team of investigators from Mumbai is now in Kishtwar to question Tak, Mumbai’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Rai, said.

“We will extend full cooperation to the Mumbai police,” said IG of Jammu Zone Dilbagfh Singh. Investigators have zeroed in on a bungalow in the pilgrimage centre of Igatpuri outside Mumbai which was allegedly frequented by Tak, sources said.