Human skeletal remains discovered in Vatva’s Qutub Nagar area have provided a breakthrough in a 35-year-old homicide case dating back to 1992 in Ahmedabad. The Ahmedabad Crime Branch is now working on DNA confirmation to identify the deceased. The excavation, which involved the exhumation of the remains from a pit nearly 18 feet deep in a residential property, was conducted with the assistance of an executive magistrate, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officials, and labor teams using a JCB machine.
Police initiated the excavation based on credible information suggesting the murder and burial of a woman on the premises many years ago. The Crime Branch suspects that the recovered skeletal remains belong to Farzana, also known as Shabnam, who was originally from Dholka and was around 17 to 18 years old when she went missing. Farzana had a complex history, having been married in Surat at a young age, returning to her parental home, and later living independently in Ahmedabad.
Investigators revealed that Farzana had distanced herself from her family and was living on her own in the city. She was known to have been in a relationship with a man identified as Shamshuddin, whom she later married. Allegedly, disputes arose between them due to her involvement in prostitution, leading to tensions. ACP Bharat Patel mentioned that four individuals, including Shamshuddin, his brother Iqbal Khedawala, and two deceased individuals, Saliyabibi and Abdul Karim, have been identified in connection with the alleged offense.
According to police allegations, Shamshuddin, his brother Iqbal, Karim, and the property owner Saliyabibi conspired to kill Farzana at the residence. The woman was reportedly brought to the house, where a confrontation ensued, resulting in her alleged strangulation. The body was then disposed of in a pre-dug pit within the house, with attempts made to conceal the burial site using cement or plaster. The property remained mostly abandoned for years, with local residents associating it with unexplained or “haunted” incidents.
During the investigation, a relative of Saliyabibi was believed to have witnessed the burial but was allegedly threatened into silence by the accused. Police mentioned that while initial intelligence suggested one of the main suspects was deceased, further verification indicated that at least one key suspect may still be alive. The exhumed skeletal remains have been sent for post-mortem analysis and DNA profiling at the Civil Hospital, with forensic confirmation expected to play a crucial role in progressing the case.
