Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jan 19: A 53-year-old software engineer in Bengaluru has been arrested for allegedly poisoning a 45-year-old relative, Uzma Khan, with whom he was having an affair. The incident occurred after Uzma decided to marry another man.
DCP (Whitefield) Shivakumar Gunare identified the accused as Imad Basha, a resident of Spice Garden near Marathahalli, and the victim as Uzma, who hailed from Kacharakanahalli.
Imad Basha (left) and Uzma Khan
According to police, both individuals had separated from their respective spouses eight years ago. Although their plans to marry did not materialise, they remained in contact.
Ten months ago, Basha moved to Mumbai, vacating his flat, while Uzma shifted to her mother’s home in HBR Layout. However, Basha returned to Bengaluru and took up residence at Deepam Apartment in Kundalahalli. Uzma often visited him, and during one such visit, Basha allegedly cloned her mobile phone, gaining access to her messages.
Investigations revealed that Uzma had been planning to marry a Pakistani national working in Australia, a decision Basha disapproved of. On December 31, 2024, Basha invited Uzma to celebrate New Year’s Eve at his apartment. She arrived at 9.30 pm, and neighbours reported hearing noise from the flat until around 12.30 am.
The next day, Basha sent messages to relatives claiming that his first wife’s interference in his relationship with Uzma had pushed them to end their lives. Uzma’s brother, Himayath Khan, alerted the police helpline, and officers arrived at the scene by 1 pm. Uzma was found dead, while Basha, still alive, was rushed to a nearby hospital.
A postmortem report later revealed that Uzma had died at least eight hours before Basha sent those messages. Police investigations disclosed that Basha had poisoned Uzma’s food while consuming non-lethal toilet cleaner himself to stage a suicide attempt.
Authorities are awaiting forensic results to determine whether Uzma was strangled before being poisoned. Further investigations are underway.