CHENNAI: A case of attempted murder, which nearly fell through due to a lack of credible independent witnesses and the death of the prime accused, got a new lease of life, all thanks to the survivor’s testimony regarding a phone call, which sealed the fate of a man convicted for aiding the accused.
On Oct 10, 2021, Deen Mohammed, 25, went to Royapettah intending to kill Salma, the pregnant partner of Sowkath, formerly Deen’s brother-in-law. Aggrieved that Sowkath abandoned his sister, Deen sought revenge by targeting Salma. Under the pretext of celebrating Salma’s pregnancy, he urged her to accompany him to a market at Kapoor Sahib Street, where he bought chocolates.
Claiming that he had run out of cash, Deen called an accomplice Zakir Hussain seeking his help. Deen ended the brief call with a cryptic phrase: Nee vanthaalthaan velai mudiyum (Only if you come, can the deed be done). Salma, who was privy to the exchange sensed something was amiss and tried to slip away. However, Deen insisted that she stay.
When Zakir arrived in an autorickshaw, he handed Deen a Rs 50 note, while discreetly passing him a fillet knife, which Deen immediately used to attack Salma, landing a blow on her head. When he attempted to stab her torso, she blocked the attack with the right hand, resulting in her middle finger being severed.
Terrified by his threats, onlookers at the market hesitated to intervene. But one bystander at his own peril wrapped a compress around Salma’s wounds as a tourniquet and called an ambulance. She was rushed to the Stanley Hospital, where she survived to tell the tale.
In spite of her complaint, police failed to present any independent witnesses in court. The case was nearing a dead-end, further weakened by the death of the primary accused Deen. During the trial, the defence argued that Zakir had no knowledge of any murder plan and had merely handed Deen a Rs 50 note. But during cross-examination, the survivor recalled the crucial short phone call and testified that the knife appeared at the scene only after Zakir arrived.
Based on this, Chennai mahila court on Monday sentenced Zakir to three years in jail under Section 307 r/w 109 of the IPC.