UP Man Who Killed Wife Over Burqa Denied Her Aadhaar To Keep Pic Private

A man in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli, who killed his wife over not wearing the burqa, did not let her apply for an Aadhaar because he did not want her photo to be seen, the police said. He had also killed his two daughters.

Farooq had been adamant that his wife, Tahira, 32, should always wear a burqa that for 18 years he did not allow her to make any identity document like Aadhaar and ration card, as it would then have her photo without the burqa.

The couple had five children - Afreen, 14; Asmeen, 10; Sehreen, 7; Bilal, 9, and Arshad, 5. After killing his wife, he shot Afreen and strangled Sehreen, the police said.

The weapon used in the murder has been recovered based on Farooq's confession. They include a pistol, seven empty shells and 10 live cartridges.

Farooq, who worked as a cook at weddings, was enraged when he came to know that his wife had been to her parents' house without wearing the burqa. He also did not allow his father-in-law to meet his wife whenever the guest visited their house.

The murder was discovered after Tahira and her two daughters were not seen for six days. His father, Dawood, repeatedly asked him about his wife and daughters, but he evaded the question. He told his father he kept them in a rented house in Shamli.

Dawood informed the police on Tuesday that he suspected his son had committed homicide. The accused was arrested and interrogated, the police said. That was when he admitted to the murders.

Farooq told the police he and his wife often fought over domestic matters as she wanted to run the house. A month ago, she went to her parents' house without wearing the burqa, which he said ruined his reputation. Angered by this, he shot Tahira in the kitchen at midnight on December 10.

His eldest daughter, Afreen, woke up hearing the gunshot. When she came to the kitchen, he shot her as well. When his second daughter, Sehreen, also came to see what happened, he strangled her.

Farooq buried their bodies in a nine-foot-deep pit dug for a toilet in the courtyard and laid a brick floor over it.