‘I slit her throat, cut body in halves’:Father brother gave ₹5 lakh contract for Dewas woman’s murder; sister’s testimony secured justice

In Part-1 of Madhya Pradesh Crime Files, you read how 18-year-old Nagina from Bawadia Mohalla, Dewas, did not return home from coaching on the evening of 30 September 2013. At 8 PM, she frantically called her sister Haseena. Her last words were: “Call the police… Call the police…” Before she could say anything further, the call disconnected. After that, Nagina vanished. Eighteen days later, her body, tied in two separate sacks, was recovered from a well on the Indore bypass—torso and lower body apart. Who killed Nagina and why? When and how did the killers commit the crime? As the police probed, shocking layers of betrayal began to unfold. Part-2 of Madhya Pradesh Crime Files, in five chapters, reveals the chilling truth. Family under suspicion Given the gravity of the case, the police expanded their investigation. First, Nagina’s mother and sister Haseena were questioned again. This time, sadness was mixed with fear and hesitation. Haseena’s trembling words changed the investigation’s direction. She told the police, “Nagina and Papa often fought—over money and her friends. Papa said she had tarnished the family’s honour.” For the first time, suspicion pointed inward. The police began investigating two parallel leads. Mobile location uncovers truth Nagina’s friend Biju, also called Vijendra, was questioned again. He insisted, “I was in Shirdi that day. I have proof. I last saw Nagina two days before the incident.” When police checked his mobile records, his statement was verified. He was indeed in Shirdi. All attention then turned to the family. Haseena quietly expressed suspicion about her father Adam and brother Irfan. The police summoned both. Irfan claimed he was in Ujjain on the day Nagina went missing. But call records and mobile location revealed he had stayed in Dewas all day. This crucial evidence could not be ignored. After two days of surveillance, police took Adam and Irfan into custody. During questioning, Irfan’s face turned pale. Panic was visible. Under strict interrogation, he finally broke down. He confessed, sobbing: “My younger sister Nagina was friends with boys from another religion—Suraj and Biju. She took money from our shop and spent it on them. She manipulated our mother to transfer the house behind ours in her name. She didn’t listen to anyone and fought over everything. Our family’s honour was being ruined. My father and I agreed she had to be eliminated. I asked my friend Anees, who drives a rickshaw, to find someone who could kill her. We would pay whatever it costs.” Anees contacted his brother-in-law Idris and friends Rizwan and Saddam from Indore. Two sacks were also arranged to dispose of the body. Irfan continued: “On 30 September 2013, Idris, Rizwan, and Saddam reached the designated spot on Bhopal Road by car. In the evening, they called me to bring two sacks. I bought them from a sugar shop and gave them to Anees, along with Rs 15,000. Around 6 PM, I picked up Nagina after coaching and took her to Bhopal Road, where the killers were waiting. I left her there and returned home. That night, Idris called and said, ‘The work is done.’” Two days later, Anees collected the rest of the money. In total, Irfan and Adam paid Rs 5,15,000 to eliminate Nagina. Adam Haji Memon, the father, also admitted that his daughter “did as she pleased” and refused to obey, which led to their agreement to have her killed. Based on the confessions, police arrested Anees (middleman), Idris (main killer), Rizwan, and Saddam from Indore. During interrogation, Saddam revealed: “That evening, we reached the spot on Bhopal Road by car. Anees came with a rickshaw carrying two sacks. About half an hour later, Irfan brought Nagina by car and left. As she approached us, I covered her mouth, Idris grabbed her legs, threw her to the ground, and slit her throat. She died instantly. Rizwan then cut her body into two pieces, placed them in sacks, and put them in the car’s trunk before leaving for Indore. We bought three knives for Rs 400 from Dewas. We took off her clothes, earrings, and necklace, and even seized her mobile. We gambled, drank alcohol, and divided the murder money. A few days later, we disposed of her phone and clothes in drains in Indore.” The police completed the investigation and filed the charges. During the trial, Adam Haji Memon died due to illness. The accused’s lawyer tried to weaken the case, arguing that the decomposed body could not be identified as Nagina and that blood stains were not DNA-tested. The prosecution’s strongest evidence was Haseena’s testimony. She bravely recounted Nagina’s last call, the quarrels at home, and identified clothes found near the body. Facing threats, Haseena never backed down. On the High Court’s orders, she was given special police protection. She fought for her sister until the very end. After a four-and-a-half-year trial, the Dewas District Court delivered its verdict on 24 March 2018. Irfan, Anees, Idris, Rizwan, and Saddam were found guilty of murder, kidnapping, and destroying evidence. All five received life imprisonment. The verdict was more than just punishment—it was a stand against so-called ‘honour’ crimes. It was a story of betrayal by a father and brother, and a testament to a sister’s courage. Haseena proved that in the fight for justice, truth matters more than family ties. Read Part-1 of Madhya Pradesh Crime Files to see how the investigation began and Nagina first went missing – Read