13 years after Laila Khan’s murder, Mumbai court sentences stepfather to death

13 years after Laila Khan’s murder, Mumbai court sentences stepfather to death

Thirteen years after the murder of actor Laila Khan and five members of her family, who went missing on February 7, 2011, a Mumbai sessions court on Friday handed down a death sentence to Parvez Tak, the third husband of Laila’s mother.

Prior to their disappearance, the Khans were last seen with Tak, who was married to Shelina, Laila Khan’s mother. The police suspected that Tak was involved in their disappearance as he had a motive to take control of their properties, which included a flat and a shop in Oshiwara, another flat in Mira Road, and a farmhouse in Igatpuri, as well as jewelry and cash. Tak was also accused of trying to enforce prostitution on Laila and her sisters, as alleged by Asif Shaikh, Laila’s stepfather and Shelina’s second husband.

As per the police report, in 2010, Azmina, Reshma, and Zara traveled to Dubai and worked with an Arab individual who was acquainted with Tak. The relationship between Tak and the sisters turned sour when they declined to give him a portion of their earnings upon their return to India.

The crime branch mentioned in the charge sheet that Tak was offended by the sisters’ refusal to share their earnings from the Dubai trip. This led to Tak harboring resentment against the sisters and conspiring with an accomplice who is currently on the run to eliminate the entire family at their Igatpuri farmhouse, with the intention of taking over their assets.

Consequently, Tak made sure that his accomplice and a wanted criminal, Shakir Hussain Wani, was employed as a security guard at the farmhouse. Upon the arrival of Laila Khan’s family at the farmhouse with Tak, a dispute arose between him and Shelina, resulting in her fatal injury caused by a blunt object. Subsequently, when other family members attempted to intervene, Tak allegedly assaulted Imran with the assistance of the security guard. Together, they proceeded to murder the remaining four family members using knives and rods, burying the bodies on the premises before setting the house ablaze in an attempt to eliminate proof of the crime.

The crime branch unearthed the skeletal remains of six individuals from the farmhouse, attributing Tak’s motivation to kill them to the family’s intention to move to Dubai. Tak also harbored animosity towards the trust Laila had placed in Asif Shaikh, who controlled the power of attorney for their Mira Road residence.

After a 13-year span following the incident and the testimonies of 40 witnesses, Tak was found guilty by the sessions court last month.