Parents finally receive daughter’s remains 18 years after brutal murder in Goa

In an emotional moment on Monday, a couple from Coorg, Karnataka, received the remains of their 13-year-old daughter, Sofia, who was murdered 18 years ago in Goa. The Kasargod court handed over a small cardboard box containing Sofia’s skull, which had been recovered as evidence in the case. The parents, Ayesha and Moithu, were overwhelmed with emotion as they held the remains of their beloved daughter.

Sofia was killed in December 2006 while working as a maid in the home of K.C. Hamsa, a contractor from Kasargod. According to police, Sofia suffered severe burns in the kitchen, and fearing punishment, Hamsa killed her, dismembered her body, and disposed of the remains in an under-construction dam site in Goa. Her body parts were recovered in 2008. Hamsa was arrested and sentenced to death in 2015, but the Kerala High Court commuted his sentence to life imprisonment in 2019.

While the conviction provided some justice, Sofia’s parents had long sought the return of their daughter’s remains to perform final rites according to their religious customs. The family’s request was granted by the Principal Sessions Court in Kasargod, which handed over the skull and bone fragments on Monday.

The remains were taken to Aiyangeri, Coorg, where they were buried at a local mosque that evening. The return of Sofia’s remains after years of legal proceedings brought a sense of closure to the grieving family, who had long sought this final act of respect for their daughter.