Mother-son duo held for murdering man over financial dispute, body found wrapped in gunny bags in canal

Srinagar: On July 30, when an unidentified body wrapped in gunny bags was found lying in the Babademb Canal beneath Baba Dawood Khakhi Bridge in Khanyar, Srinagar Police were faced with a murder case with no immediate identity of the deceased or clear trail leading to the perpetrators.

Within six hours, police said on Saturday, the investigation had led them to the alleged killers — a mother-son duo who had fled Srinagar and were eventually traced to Lolab in Kupwara.

Police Station Khanyar received information about the body on July 30, following which FIR No. 49/2026 was registered under Sections 103 and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation was launched.

Considering the gravity of the offence, a Special Investigation Team was constituted under the supervision of senior officers. Investigators began working on available leads and corroborating evidence, which, police said, eventually established the identity of the two accused as Haleema Bano and her son Moomin Ahmad.

The duo, originally residents of Machil in Kupwara, had been living as tenants at Mughal Mohalla in Rainawari, according to police.

Police said that after committing the offence, the two fled Srinagar in an attempt to evade arrest. Officials pursued the available leads and traced them to Lolab in Kupwara, where they were apprehended within hours of the recovery of the body.

The deceased was subsequently identified as Nazir Ahmad Bhat, son of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, a resident of Kalantpora in Hawal.

According to the police investigation, Bhat was allegedly murdered inside the accused’s rented accommodation following a financial dispute. His body was then allegedly disposed of in the Babademb Canal in an attempt to conceal the crime and destroy evidence.

Several incriminating articles connected with the alleged crime have also been recovered during the investigation, police said.

The investigation remains underway, with police seeking to ascertain whether any other person was involved in the offence and complete the required legal formalities.

The case, police said, was detected within six hours of the recovery of the unidentified body following sustained investigation and corroboration of available evidence.