india

Updated: Dec 23, 2018 09:39 IST

The Bandra police on Friday arrested a 36-year-old man, Asif Shaikh, for allegedly hanging his 30-year-old brother, Riyaz, to death in their home in Rahul Nagar, Bandra (West). The murder was reported by their mother who tried to make it look like an accident to protect the elder son.

“Shaikh saw Riyaz was not in his senses. He tied a knot to the ceiling and hanged him,” said a police officer. The victim has 10 cases of theft registered against him.

On Friday, at around 4pm, Asif Shaikh got into a fight with his younger brother, Riyaz, in their home in Rahul Nagar, Bandra (West). The police believe Riyaz may have been under the influence of drugs when the fight broke out. “Shaikh, the elder brother and the victim, got into a fight. He saw Riyaz was not in his senses. Sometime later, he tied a knot to the ceiling and hanged him to death,” said a police officer familiar with the case.

When their mother found out what had happened between her two sons, she confronted Shaikh, but eventually decided to try and save him. Instead of reporting the murder to the police, their mother went to Bhabha Hospital in Bandra with Riyaz’s body. The hospital declared Riyaz dead on arrival.

Then the elderly woman went to Bandra police station with the death certificate and told the police that she didn’t know the actual cause of Riyaz’s death, but that she suspected he had fallen off a stool while at home.

However, the police found ligature marks on the deceased’s neck and the post-mortem report confirmed that Riyaz’s death was due to hanging. The police then interrogated Riyaz’s mother and brother, which was when the duo came clean about what had happened. Riyaz was known to the police because he has previously been booked for multiple cases of theft.

Shaikh was charged with murder of his brother and was presented before a local court on Saturday. He has been remanded to police custody. No charges have been filed against their mother.