Kamal Ghorui
GHAZIABAD: A 38-year-old man shot dead his wife and a close friend at his home in Tronica City’s Rampark Colony after he came to know that the two were having an affair for the past two years and his wife was planning to leave him.The accused had allegedly invited the friend over for dinner on Monday evening. The three ate together and smoked before a heated argument broke out, ending in the fatal shooting.According to police, the couple’s seven-year-old son was an eyewitness to the double murder. While police are yet to record his statement, the minor is said to have told police that his father, Rashid (38), took out a gun from an almirah in their bedroom around midnightand first shot his friend, also a colleague of several years at his furniture shop, Faheem (32), before turning the gun towards his wife, Shabnam (36).After the murders, Rashid apparently turned towards his son and said, ‘ab sab thik ho jayega’ (now everything will be fine) and left the house.An FIR has been registered against Rashid under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, based on a complaint filed by Faheem’s father. Police teams are conducting raids to trace the accused. They are also trying to locate the weapon used in the murder and ascertain how and when Rashid got his hands on it, which could reveal if the murder was premeditated.Police have also found that both Rashid and Faheem had prior criminal records. Multiple cases, including attempt to murder, theft and violations of the Arms Act, were registered against Faheem at local police stations. Rashid had previously been arrested in a theft case in 2023.DCP (rural) Surendra Nath Tiwari said the two were shot in the head, possibly from close range, and were declared dead on being taken to a hospital by neighbours. The bodies were sent for autopsy, but the reports are awaited, police said.The couple, police said, were married for several years and had seven children, aged 1.5 to 20. During the initial rounds of inquiry, family members and neighbours told cops that Shabnam and Faheem had been in a relationship for more than two years. Tensions in the household had escalated in recent months, particularly after Rashid learned of the alleged affair around the time of their eldest son’s wedding six months ago. Officers said Rashid had objected to the relationship and asked his wife to end it, but the dispute persisted.About a week before the killings, Rashid and Faheem were involved in a confrontation over the issue, police said. On Monday evening, Rashid allegedly called Faheem to the house for dinner and confronted him and Shabnam after he thought all his children had retired to bed.Loni ACP Siddharth Gautam said Rashid had already concealed a pistol inside the home. After the meal, an argument broke out between the three. The seven-year-old, who had been watching television, entered the room on hearing raised voices and witnessed the shooting.A senior police officer added that Shabnam had wanted a divorce and intended to sell the house, which she owned. It may have also led to the murders, police said.
