A 22-year-old woman’s death in Ahmedabad, initially reported as a road accident, is now being investigated as a suspected honour killing after police found that the accident described in the complaint did not appear to have taken place.
Sofia died in the early hours of August 13 after suffering a serious head injury. What first appeared to be a case of a two-wheeler being struck by another vehicle has since taken a different turn, with police alleging that she may have been deliberately killed following objections within her family over a video in which she was seen interacting with a young man.
The incident was reported to the M Division Traffic Police after Sofia’s 38-year-old brother claimed that he was taking her home on a two-wheeler on the night of August 12. According to the initial complaint, another vehicle allegedly hit their two-wheeler from behind near the Sarkhej area before fleeing the spot.
Sofia was taken to GMERS Sola Civil Hospital with severe head injuries. She died at around 12.05 am on August 13.
The account, however, came under scrutiny during the traffic police investigation.
CCTV footage raises questions over accident claim
As investigators examined the alleged accident location, they found indications that the reported collision may never have happened there. A roadside camera located in the vicinity became an important part of the inquiry.
According to police, CCTV footage did not show any accident taking place at around 11 pm on August 12 at the location mentioned in the complaint. This prompted investigators to reconsider the circumstances surrounding Sofia’s injuries and death.
The postmortem examination reportedly found that she had died from a brain haemorrhage resulting from an injury, adding to the questions surrounding the original accident version.
The investigation was subsequently handed over to Sarkhej Police on Tuesday.
Police suspect family ‘honour’ motive
According to investigators, the inquiry then turned towards Sofia’s family.
Police allege that her father, 56, and brother had objected to a video involving Sofia and a young man. The incident related to the video was reportedly from several months earlier.
Investigators suspect that the two men may have subsequently conspired to kill her, allegedly in what police described as an attempt to preserve the family’s honour.
Police allege that Sofia was taken to an area near Gheljipura village, where her brother is suspected of striking her on the head with a metal hammer obtained from their godown.
Investigators further allege that the supposed accident location was deliberately chosen because the suspects believed there would be no CCTV coverage in the area. The discovery of a roadside camera, however, is said to have helped police challenge that version of events.
False accident complaint under investigation
After Sofia was allegedly injured, police suspect that her brother attempted to present the incident as a road accident and lodged a complaint claiming that an unidentified vehicle had hit their two-wheeler and escaped.
The discrepancy between that account and the CCTV footage led traffic investigators to suspect that the road accident had been staged to conceal a possible killing.
Inspector U B Dhakhada of the traffic police explained the role of CCTV footage in raising doubts over the initial version. The matter was then transferred to Sarkhej Police Station for further investigation.
According to police, the woman’s father and brother had been detained. Police were also expected to search for and recover the alleged weapon.
As of Tuesday evening, an FIR in the suspected murder case had not yet been registered, according to the information available.
The allegations of conspiracy, the hammer attack and an honour-based motive remain part of the police investigation and have not been established by a court.
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