A woman and her four daughters were found murdered in a hotel room in Lucknow on Wednesday morning, according to police. Authorities have arrested Arshad, the woman’s son, in connection with the killings.
The family, originally from Agra, had traveled to Lucknow to celebrate the New Year. Their bodies were discovered in a room at Hotel Sharanjeet in the Naka area. The victims were identified as Asma, the mother, and her daughters Aliya (9), Aksa (16), Raheeman (18), and Alishiya (19).
During initial questioning, Arshad admitted to murdering his mother and sisters. He claimed they were being harassed by neighbors and expressed fears for their safety if something happened to him. Out of this fear, he decided to kill them, said DCP Central Zone Raveena Tyagi.
Arshad recorded a video of the crime, showing the bodies of his family members and explaining his actions. He took his family to Ajmer before returning to Lucknow, where he checked them into a hotel. At night, he strangled his mother with a scarf and stuffed cloth in her mouth. He used the same method on his sisters, also slitting their wrists.
In the video that is going viral on the internet, Arshad blamed members of his community in Agra of pushing him to take such an extreme step, stating that he was under tremendous pressure and wanted to protect his family’s honour. He alleged that despite their pleas for help, neither local authorities nor community leaders intervened, forcing the family to live on the streets.
“Our community members are responsible for what I have done to myself and my sisters. I didn’t want them to be sold. We kept running from pillar to post seeking help but no one helped us. But it has been 10 to 15 days now, we are heplessly wandering on the streets in cold. I don’t want them to be on the streets in this cold. They took away our home even though its documents are with us,” Arshad said in the video.
His name is Md Arshad. He k*lled his own 2 sisters because he didn't want them to be sold in the pr*stitution market by MusIim gangsters.
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) January 1, 2025
He blames IsIamists of his own village for being involved in land grabbing, human trafficking etc crimes..
Truly a bone-chilling video! pic.twitter.com/RH1Fj6oszh
“When you get this video, Lucknow Police, please don’t spare such Muslims. You are doing a splendid job against such Muslims. These people are involved in all sorts of criminal activities, trade in counterfeit notes, oppress people, grab lands of the helpless. We tried acting against them but couldn’t get success. Those living in our neighbourhood are responsible for our deaths,” Arshad added.
Arshad’s father, Badar, reportedly assisted in the murders. After the killings, Arshad dropped Badar at a railway station and then reported the crime to the police. Based on his statement, authorities recovered the murder weapons, including a blade and a scarf. His father, currently on the run.