Two minor boys detained for murder of cleric’s wife, two young daughters

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday detained two minor students of a cleric for their involvement in the murder of his wife and two daughters in the Doghat area of the Baghpat district, an officer said on Sunday.

The boys allegedly attacked the victims with a hammer and stabbed them with a knife on Saturday, citing frequent scolding and physical punishment as the reason for the crime.

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The matter came to notice when the bodies of Ibrahim’s wife, Israna (30), and their daughters, Sofia (5) and Sumaiya (2), were found lying at their residence located within the mosque premises of Gangnauli village. They were discovered by children arriving for daily mosque lessons, said Suraj Kumar Rai, Superintendent of Police (SP).

While probing the case, the police found that two of Ibrahim’s students were behind the crime.

According to the police, the detained students admitted to their involvement, saying they were driven to commit the act due to repeated scolding and beatings by cleric Ibrahim. They committed the crime when Ibrahim was away in Deoband, Superintendent of Police Rai said.

The police said the weapons used in the commission of the crime, a hammer and knife, have been confiscated from their possession by a team of police.

Given the gravity of the incident, seven police teams were deployed and managed to solve the case within six hours, the Superintendent of Police said, adding that a case has been registered against both minors and an investigation is ongoing.

The bodies have been sent for autopsy, the officer said, adding that Ibrahim is a native of Sunna village in the Muzaffarnagar district and has been serving at Badi Masjid in Gangnauli for the past four years. His wife, Israna, used to teach children within the mosque premises.