Family set on fire, woman follows husband in death

A day after a man succumbed to burns sustained in a murder bid on his family of seven, his wife too died on Thursday. Shireen Taj (30), wife of Afzal Pasha, who had suffered over 90 per cent burns died at K R Hospital in the city. Pasha had died on Wednesday.

Following the couple’s death, the relatives of the duo are worried about their five children who are battling for life, since the incident that occurred during the early hours of March 31.

Afzal Pasha and Shireen Taj couple had been living at No 584, ninth cross, Ghousianagar in Kyatamaranahalli. The couple have five children - Myfooz, nine, Yunus, eight, Yusuf, seven, Saif, five and Masood Pasha, four. Saif and Masood’s condition is critical.

In his complaint to Udaygiri police, Asif Pasha, who resides next to Afzal Pasha in a house leased out by the latter, has stated that the family of seven were asleep, when Jabeena and three other accused in the case attacked them with the sole intention of doing them to death.

Quoting Afzal’s statement, Asif has given the detailed account of the incident to the investigators. Though the main motive behind the incident is money-lending, Afzal said that both the families had exchanged heated words on the eve of the incident.

The two children of Taj had defecated near Jabeena’s house, only to invite her wrath. Jabeena and Haseena had beat the two children, which led to a scuffle between the Afzal couple and Jabeena. While Jabeena’s husband Adil hurled invectives at Afzal, Jabeena and Haseena had targeted Shireen. However, the neighbours had intervened and also succeeded in dispersing them.

According to Asif, he woke up to the screams of the neighbour around 1 am (March 31). Fire was raging inside the house and Afzal was screaming for help. Soon Asif along with others rushed inside and pulled them out.

It was at that time, Afzal told Asif that they woke up to the bang on the door. Adil who was standing outside with a can with petrol, emptied the same by throwing it at them.

Jabeena yelled at her husband to latch the door from outside, after striking the matchstick. They later bolted from the spot, only to be arrested later. The arrested have been identified as Jabeena, Adil, Haseena and Kousar.