Bangalore: Couple Shot at, Die on way to Hospital
Report: The Hindu
Pic: KPN
BANGALORE, Mar 2: A couple, Javed Akhtar (33) and his wife, Hazira Bano (30), was allegedly shot at by businessman Haneef Sait at their residence in Vivekanandanagar off Banaswadi Main Road here on Sunday. The couple died of bullet injuries on the way to hospital. The police said that the incident was the result of a financial dispute.
Haneef Sait, the police said, visited the couple’s residence with his wife Fathima and brother-in-law Suleiman, after the Akhtar couple expressed inability to repay a loan.
Police Commissioner Shankar M. Bidari said Haneef Sait, Fathima and Suleiman have been arrested. The accused were trying to fly out of the city, he said. They will be produced before a court on Monday, he added.
The couple owned a travel agency on Bhagwan Mahaveer Road. They lived in a joint family with their two children and Akhtar’s parents. They received the accused on the first floor of their residence, the police said.
Akhtar’s father, Noorulah Haq, his wife and grandchildren — Akhtar’s three-year-old son and one-year-old daughter — were offering prayers on the ground floor when the incident occurred, the police said.
Haneef Sait, who runs used car showrooms and lives in HRBR Layout, had loaned about Rs. 5 crore to the couple, the police said.
The police said the three visitors and the couple went to the bedroom on the first floor. There were arguments over the issue, and Noorulah Haq, who heard three gunshots, rushed to the first floor. When he found the bedroom locked from inside, he summoned help to break open the door. Then, he found his son and daughter-in-law lying in a pool of blood. Quoting Mr. Noorulah Haq, the police said the three visitors were still inside the room.
As Noorulah Haq and his wife tried to arrange for an ambulance, the visitors walked out of the house, the police said. Akhtar was the youngest of Mr. Noorulah Haq’s three sons.
The police said the revolver used in the crime belonged to Javed Akthar. The car, which was parked outside the house of the victims, was later found in front of Haneef Sait’s house in HRBR Layout, the police added.