M A I N   N E W S

Stepfather’s jealousy, greed killed Laila, kin
Shiv Kumar/TNS

Sordid saga Parvez Tak, Laila’s step-father, was upset with his wife and starlet’s mother, Saleena, over the latter’s closeness to her second husband Asif Shaikh He was also angry as Asif held Saleena’s power of attorney to the family's properties On the night of the murder, when the entire family was at the Igatpuri farmhouse near Mumbai, Tak got into a heated argument with Saleena. In a fit of rage, Tak hit Saleena with an iron rod Later, with the help of watchman, Shakir, Tak attacked Laila Khan and her brother Imran as they intervened. Subsequently, Tak killed the other members of the family to cover his tracks, the police said

Mumbai, July 11
Jealousy and greed prompted Bollywood starlet Laila Khan’s stepfather to eliminate her along with her family, says the police.

The Mumbai police are certain that the case involving the disappearance of starlet and her relatives has been solved following the recovery of six skeletons on Tuesday night.

Briefing the media here today, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy said the police was waiting for the DNA tests to be conducted on the remains recovered near the family's farmhouse at Igatpuri near Mumbai before confirming their identities.

According to Roy, the main suspect and Laila’s stepfather Parvez Tak, who was brought to Mumbai from Jammu, led investigators to the spot near the bungalow owned by starlet’s family where he claimed to have buried the bodies. "Six persons, including Laila Khan, are missing in the case. Five of the skeletons recovered were those of women while one belonged to a man,” said Roy.

Tak confessed to the police that the entire group had gone to Igatpuri on a holiday and on the night of the murder, he got into an argument with the starlet's mother Saleena over her relationship with her second husband Asif Shaikh while they were at the farmhouse, Roy said. Tak, who was Saleena's third husband, was upset that Saleena was still close to Shaikh and that he held her power of attorney to the family's properties.

Following the argument, Tak, in a fit of rage, hit Saleena with an iron rod. Later, with the help of watchman, Shakir, Tak attacked Laila Khan and her brother Imran as they intervened, the officer said.

Subsequently, Tak killed the other members of the family to cover his tracks, Roy said. Despite Tak's confession, the police are still exploring other angles to the murder, the police officer added.

Roy said Tak then buried the bodies in a pit to destroy the evidence. "The skeletons, three of which had skull fractures and other injuries, still had jewellery on them.... We also found an iron rod with bloodstains on it," Roy said. He added that Tak also had suffered injuries in the incident.

Earlier, police officials said Tak had confessed to killing Laila Khan, her mother Saleena and her siblings and another relative by bludgeoning them with an iron rod. Along with his accomplice Shakir, Tak allegedly dug a nine-foot deep pit in which the bodies, the blood-stained mattresses and pillows along with the rod used in the murder was dumped, the police said. A bag containing women's clothes was also recovered from the pit. Subsequently, Tak set the bungalow ablaze, the police said.

According to Roy, the police are still trying to find out the motive behind the murder. "Tak could have been upset by Saleena's relationship with (her second husband) Asif Shaikh. Or he could have been resentful of the family wanting to emigrate to Dubai," Roy said. The official added that Tak confessed to committing the murder in a fit of rage.

The police are still trying to calculate what went missing from the family's possession as everyone has been killed, Roy said.

Investigators were still trying to piece together the movements of Tak and Shakir by interrogating their relatives and neighbours, Roy added. After committing the crime, Tak went to Jammu and then to Kishtwar.