A man in India was arrested on the morning of July 21st after he beheaded his sister and carried her head while walking calmly on the street, with a video of him holding the severed head making rounds on social media.
The suspect was identified as Mohammed Riyaz, in his early 20s, and a resident of Barabanki in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Authorities said Mohammed murdered his younger sister, Aashifa, because he was unhappy with her relationship with a local man. The complaint against Mohammed was filed by his father, a farmer named Abdul Raseed.
The gruesome crime happened in the village of Mithwara, located in the Fatehpur area, after an argument between Mohammed and Aashifa. Authorities narrated that the altercation occurred around 11:30 AM after Aashifa refused to end her relationship with a neighbor named Chand Babu, with the two often quarreling over the issue.
The #UttarPradesh police arrested one Riyaz for allegedly beheading his 19-year-old sister over her reported love affair, in the Fatehpur locality of #Barabanki district.https://t.co/pTH8TcVpRR
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) July 21, 2023
Aashifa had eloped with Babu three months ago, but police recovered her a week later, and Babu was sent to prison after her family members filed a complaint against him. He was charged with kidnapping at the Fatehpur police station.
But after the argument with Aashifa on July 21st, Mohammed went outside and returned with an axe before attacking her and beheading her. No other family was inside the home when he committed the crime, and Aashifa was outside their home when she was murdered.
The police received information about Mohammed walking while holding his sister’s severed head at noon that day, and a police team quickly spotted Mohammed on a road in Mithwara village and arrested him. He was taken to the Fatehpur station, while another police team went to Mohammed’s house to recover the remaining portion of Aashifa’s body.
Officer Raghuvir Singh said that Mohammed confessed to the crime upon his arrest and interrogation, revealing that he murdered his sister because he opposed her relationship with Babu. He was upset that Aashifa didn’t want to end her relationship with him. After all the necessary evidence was collected, Aashifa’s body was sent for an autopsy.