Wife, two children and lover in same house; Instagram friendship that ended in tragedy

MUMBAI: The decomposed body of a 33-year-old woman was found in a septic tank in a deserted area in Maharashtra. Ashrafi alias Zia, a native of Gondia, Maharashtra, died in the incident. The police quickly identified the woman's boyfriend, Sameer, and his family members as the perpetrators. Sameer strangled Zia to death. He then put her body in an iron shelf and dumped it in a septic tank near her house to destroy evidence.

Zia and Sameer met on Instagram a year ago. Their friendship later blossomed into love. Zia left home three months ago and came to Bhopal to live with Sameer. Strangely, Sameer made Zia stay in his house along with his wife and children. Problems arose in Sameer’s house in Kamala Nagar, as Zia and Sameer’s wife fought constantly. It is also reported that Zia forced Sameer to marry her.

Police said that Zia had threatened Sameer to pay Rs 5 lakh or face legal action. As the argument escalated, Sameer's wife went to her own house in Jabalpur. On the evening of February 9, a heated argument broke out between Zia and Sameer. As a result, Sameer strangled the woman to death. The accused sought the help of his brother, mother and sister to destroy evidence. He then put the body in an iron box and dumped it in a septic tank near the house.

The information came to light on Thursday evening when children playing in the area noticed a foul smell coming from the tank. Locals, who saw a box floating inside the tank, informed the police. When the police arrived and opened the box, they found the decomposed body of the woman. The body was identified through a tattoo on the woman's body.

Sameer went into hiding after the incident came to light. Police arrested his mother, brother and sister. Sameer's wife is also under police surveillance. Police say that Zia had previously been married three times in Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Police said that more details regarding the murder of the woman will be known only after receiving the postmortem report.