04 March,2016 08:28 AM IST | | Shiva Devnath
Cops believe the men may have killed the 70-year-old woman after failing to repay a loan they took from her
In a vital development in the murder of slain Oshiwara resident Mumtaz Badshah, the police have detained two of her building's security guards in Kashmir. They have emerged as the prime suspects in the brutal killing of the 70-year-old, who was found dead at her residence in Rizwan Apartments of Oshiwara last month.
70-year-old Mumtaz Badshah's grandson found her blood-soaked body with her throat slit, at her Rizwan Apartment residence on February 11
After a long search in various parts of Kashmir, the Oshiwara police finally traced both the security guards to an undisclosed location. The cops have detained security guards Rafique and his uncle. Post the murder, the police recorded the statements of more than 150 people, including the duo, and strictly asked everyone questioned to not leave the city without informing them. But, suddenly both the security guards went to Kashmir without informing anyone.
While the security agency that hired them provided their Kashmir address to the Mumbai Police, they were not present there, sources added. They were later arrested from an undisclosed location.
Reasons for suspicion
The cops have many reasons to suspect both the detained security guards, one of them being Mumtaz's money lending habit. She would lend money on interest and it is suspected that the guards had borrowed money from her. When they failed to repay it on time, Mumtaz is said to have yelled at them since she was short tempered. Following this supposed altercation, the guards may have killed her.
Also, both of them were aware of the 17 CCTV cameras that were installed in the society; around six cameras are outside Mumtaz's flat. They know which part of the building these cameras cover and they might have entered her house through the part not covered by the CCTV cameras. Mumtaz's flat showed no signs of forced entry and nothing was missing from her flat as well. Her grandson found her blood-soaked body with her throat slit on February 11.