VADODARA: Investigation into the murder of 36-year-old Ajiza Dewan has revealed that her elder sister allegedly planned the crime to claim Rs 40 lakh from a life insurance policy and hired her lover to carry out the murder. Vadodara rural police arrested Feroza Dewan and Rameez Sheikh on Friday after investigation pointed to their involvement in the crime. Ajiza’s body was found three days ago in Ankodia village. Her autopsy revealed that she had been strangled. Police began scanning CCTV footage from the area. Ajiza had left her father’s house in Gorwa around 8pm on Tuesday.
“A CCTV footage showed a man giving her a ride on a motorbike some distance from her house. We managed to take a picture of his face and show it to the victim’s family. It turned out to be a Sheikh,” said Vadodara SP (Rural) Sushil Agrawal. Police tracked him down and questioned Sheikh, who admitted to killing Ajiza with her dupatta. Sheikh, a food delivery man, told police he was having an affair with the victim’s sister, Feroza, who needed money. Ajiza had certain arguments with her husband and hence stayed with her father for the last six months. Feroza lived with her husband in the same house. “Feroza decided to take an insurance policy on Ajiza’s life for Rs 40 lakh with herself as a candidate and paid the first premium on November 28. She persuaded Sheikh to kill Ajiza and promised to pay him Rs 7 lakh,” Agrawal told TOI. On Tuesday, Feroza convinced Ajiza to get a shram card to avail some government benefits. Feroza then asked Ajiza to accompany Sheikh to help her get the shram card. Sheikh first took Ajiza to Padra on his motorcycle and then to a remote place in Ankodia where he strangled her with her dupatta.
