9 murder-accused acquitted

HYDERABAD: Citing lack of evidence, the first additional chief metropolitan magistrate court on Thursday acquitted nine persons, including five women, of the charges of murdering five members of a family at Amberpet here in 2010.The acquitted are Syed Jahangir, Syed Shareefuddin, Syed Karim, Sheik Jaffer Hussain, Tasleem Begum, Hafeez Begum, Fatima Begum, Parvin Begum and Noor Banu Begum.Five members of a family — Mohammed Qamruddin and his wife Sajida Begum and sons Mohammed Abdullah and Mohammed Kirmani and daughter Neha Afreen— were found murdered at their residence at Premnagar on May 30, 2010.Jahangir, an autorickshaw mechanic, married Neha but she was staying with her parents following differences.She had lodged a dowry harassment complaint against him and his parents.Amberpet police registered a case against Jahangir whose mother died in a road accident while returning home from court after attending proceedings in the dowry harassment case.Bearing a grudge against Qamruddin’s family, Jahangir, with the help of his relatives, allegedly attacked Qamruddin’s family members with iron rods resulting in the death of his wife Sajida Begum and sons Mohd Abdullah and Mohd Kirmani.Jahangir’s estranged wife Neha Afreen, died at a hospital later.Police arrested Jahangir and his relatives, including four women, on June 4, 2010 on the charges of criminally conspiracy and murdering Mohd Qamruddin and four members of his family.                                                                                                 With the police failing to submit proper evidence to the court, the court acquitted the nine accused.Reacting to the acquittal, city police commissioner AK Khan said they would go in for an appeal.When pointed out that the police failed to provide proper evidence, he said action would be taken against the investigating officers if it was found that they had failed to conduct a proper enquiry.