Singer set on fire in Hyderabad dies, her husband absconding

The body of Sonia Begum a native of Punjab was found at her home in Owaisi Colony of Hyderabad.

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25-year-old Sonia Begum from Punjab residing in Hyderabad died on Wednesday after being set on fire allegedly by her husband Salman. Police have registered a case against Salman who is presently absconding. This is the second such immolation case in Hyderabad this month.

On Wednesday morning, the Santosh Nagar police station received a call from Owaisi colony residents with complaints about a foul smell.

“We sent officers to investigate who found a burnt body from one of the houses in the colony,” said A Bhojya, Station House Officer at Santosh Nagar Police station. The body was identified to be that of Sonia Begum, a native of Punjab who came to Hyderabad three years ago after her marriage to city-based Salman.

The woman was said to be a singer who performed at weddings and other functions. According to media reports, the accused tied her hands and legs with a plastic wire and locked the house from outside, after committing the crime. The police also suspect that Salman suspected her fidelity, which may have led to the murder.

“The postmortem is not yet complete so we are not sure if she was burnt after her death or before. The couple has a 2-year-old child presently under the care of her relatives. Upon investigation, we found that the couple used to fight frequently,” he added.

The police have registered a case under Section 301 (Homicide by causing the death of a person) and Section 302 (Murder) under the IPC against Salman. Further, charges will be added once the investigation is complete.“We are confident that we will nab Salman within the next 24 hours. We are scanning CCTV footage to identify his movements, so far we are sure he has not left the city, the investigation is still ongoing,” said the officer.

Earlier this month, forty-year-old Ibrahim set Shabana Begum on fire for refusing to be his second wife. Shaban’s sister in law who tried to save Shabana while being doused with petrol was also set on fire by Ibrahim. All three died after suffering over 80% burns.

Ibrahim, a resident of Barkas was hell-bent on winning over Shabana Begum as his second wife. The two got to know each other on Facebook a year ago, but Shabana and her family rejected the proposal once they learnt about Ibrahim’s family. However, it did not go down well with Ibrahim.