Jammu, September 22 — A shooting incident involving three women in Jammu, initially reported as a road accident, has resulted in the suspension of three police personnel and the formation of a special investigation team, after one victim died from gunshot wounds, according to details received by The Chenab Times.
On August 21, Mehjabeen Akil Sheikh, 30, from Mumbai’s West Malad, her sister Fatima Akil, 21, and Jaspreet Kour, 28, from Ludhiana, were brought to JK Medicity Hospital by two men claiming they were injured in a road accident on the Ring Road in Bari Brahmana. Police initiated inquest proceedings after speaking to the men, as the women were too injured to provide statements, as reported by The Indian Express. The victims were transferred to other facilities, including ASCOMS Batra Hospital and Government Medical College Hospital.
Mehjabeen Akil Sheikh succumbed to her injuries on August 29 at the Government Medical College Hospital. Her body was released to the family following a postmortem. Subsequent investigations, including CCTV footage and mobile records, revealed the injuries were from gunshots, leading to the registration of an FIR on September 18 under sections for murder and attempt to murder in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The inquest was converted into a criminal case.
Three officers from Channi Himmat police station—Station House Officer Deepak Pathania and Probationary Sub-Inspectors Wasim Bhatti and Rohit Sharma—were suspended for mishandling the initial probe. The Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police has formed a special investigation team to examine the murder and injuries, as well as any role the suspended officers may have played in misrepresenting the incident.
The surviving women, Fatima Akil and Jaspreet Kour, were placed in protective custody after discharge. Forensic experts, crime photographers, investigating officers and a magistrate visited the crime scene in Sainik Colony, where the women resided at House No. 157, Sector A, and collected evidence. No arrests have been reported at this time.
The Chenab Times News Desk
