In Bajali district of Assam, a 19-year-old woman was killed by her former boy-friend for starting relationship with another man after breaking up with him. The accused is a Muslim named Arif Ahmed, while the victim is Bengali Hindu named Manika Barman. He raped her before killing her, and was also blackmailing and harassing her for last several months.
The crime took place on Friday in Sarupeta town. Arif Ahmed forced the woman out of her house through coercion and threats at around 4 AM. After she went out to meet him, a confrontation between the two took place. During the argument, he allegedly sexually assaulted her, and then strangled her to death.
After the murder, he carried the body to a nearby rented toom, and hanged her body from a ceiling fan in an attempt to give it the look of a suicide. However, after the body was discovers, forensic evidence and a detailed examination of the crime scene proved that it was a murder. Based on the investigation, Bajali Police arrested Arif Ahmed.
The two were in a relationship earlier, but she had broken up as it was hampering her studies. Her mother had also objected to the relation with a Muslim man.
Few months ago, the girl started dating a different man. Learning this, Ahmed got angry, and started to threaten her to come back to him. He was also using personal photographs taken during their relationship to blackmail her. The victim’s family members said that due to constant threats and harassment, Manika Barman was in a distressed state for the last few weeks.
