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Lucknow Crime: Accused Arshad blamed his community in Agra and other people for driving him to this extreme step. In a video, he says his family wanted to convert to live in peace.
Arshad along with his father, mother and four sisters travelled from Agra to Lucknow to celebrate new year. (X/@swati_gs)
Fresh details have emerged into the gruesome murder of five people that rocked Lucknow on New Year’s morning. The accused made a video of the murder and shared it online. In the clip, he shows lifeless bodies of his mother and sisters and explains how he killed them.
The accused, identified as Arshad (24), reportedly blamed his community in Agra and other people for driving him to this extreme step, claiming that he was troubled and under immense pressure.
The family was originally from Agra, and had come to Lucknow to celebrate the New Year.
According to a report in Times of India, Arshad’s father, Badar, assisted him in committing the murders. The accused dropped his father at the railway station after the murders and went to the police station to report the crime.
Badar is currently on the run, and CCTV footage from the railway station is being reviewed to identify and apprehend him.
What Did Arshad Say In The Video
The video, which has been circulating on social media, shows a man blaming his community, and saying that he committed the killings because he did not want his “sisters to be sold“. He also talks about harassment over land grabbing and how his family wanted to convert to live in peace.
While reports claim that the man in the video is the 24-year-old accused, News18 cannot verify the authenticity of the video.
Arshad can be heard saying in the video that a temple should come up on their land and their belongings must be donated to an orphanage so that their souls find joy. “I killed them (mother and sisters) with my father. What choice did I have? See them being sold in Hyderabad?”
“Ensure they get justice. They struggled a lot today. We have saved their honour,” he said, addressing Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
How Were Murders Committed
Arshad along with his father, mother and four sisters travelled from Agra to Lucknow to celebrate new year. On December 31, the accused took his family to Ajmer before returning to Uttar Pradesh’s capital. He then checked them into a hotel.
According to TOI, he strangled his mother with her dupatta and stuffed cloth in her mouth at night. Similarly, he stuffed cloth into his sisters’ mouths and slit their wrists.
DCP Central Zone Raveena Tyagi was quoted as saying that Arshad claimed the family was being harassed by neighbours, and he feared for their safety if something happened to him. Driven by this fear, he decided to kill them.
After the accused dropped his father at the railway station, he went to the police station and confessed to murdering his four sisters and mother.
Based on his disclosure, the police recovered the murder weapons, including a blade and a scarf, TOI stated, adding that further interrogation is underway, and evidence is being collected to verify every detail of the incident.
The Horrific Lucknow Murders
On Wednesday morning, information about the killings began to spread. Initial reports said that five members of a family were found murdered inside a room at hotel Sharanjeet situated in Naka area of Uttar Pradesh’s capital.
The deceased were identified as Aliya (9), Alishiya (19), Aksa (16), Raheeman (18) and their mother Asma. Asma’s son Arshad was arrested by police in connection with the murders.
A morning report by news agency PTI had quoted DCP as saying that the preliminary inquiry has revealed that he took the step because of domestic disputes.
She added that the forensic teams have been deployed at the crime spot to collect evidence while a detailed probe has been launched into the matter.
