Cleric's Wife, 2 Daughters Murdered On Mosque Premises In UP

The wife and two minor daughters of a Muslim cleric were found murdered with a sharp-edged weapon inside their residence in a village here on Saturday, police said.

According to police, Israna (30), wife of Ibrahim, who is Imam of the main mosque at Gangnauli village in Baghpat district, and their daughters Sofia (5) and Sumaiya (2) were found lying in pools of blood inside their residence located within the mosque's premises.

Imam Ibrahim was said to be away for some work in Deoband at the time of the incident.

The murders came to light when some children, who arrived for daily lessons at the mosque, saw the bodies and raised an alarm.

On being informed, Superintendent of Police Suraj Kumar Rai, Additional SP Praveen Kumar Chauhan, and Circle Officer Vijay Kumar reached the spot and sent the bodies for post-mortem.

As officers attempted to remove the bodies, some villagers protested, demanding speedy justice. The situation was brought under control after senior officials intervened and promised action.

Given the sensitivity of the case, Deputy Inspector General (Meerut Range) Kalanidhi Naithani visited the crime scene and directed an in-depth investigation.

"We are probing all possible angles -- whether it is a case of family dispute, robbery or enmity. Five dedicated teams have been formed. The culprits will be arrested soon," Naithani said.

According to police, Imam Ibrahim hails from Sunna village in Muzaffarnagar district and had been serving at Gangnauli's Badi Masjid for the last four years. His wife, Israna, used to teach children at the mosque compound.  

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)