Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): On May 21, 2024, Mohammad Waseem walked into Nishatpura police station and reported that his 22-year-old daughter, Saniya Khan, was missing.
She had left home quietly that morning and never returned. With her mobile switched off and no trace of her whereabouts, the family was left in desperate silence.
The prime suspect was soon identified: her husband, Nadeemuddin, an auto-rickshaw driver known for his violent temper. Nadeem had a history of tormenting Saniya—demanding a motorbike, accusing her of infidelity and even once parading her naked through the village. But after Saniya disappeared, Nadeem also went into hiding.
Despite their best efforts, police couldn’t find any leads. That is, until June 2, when an informant tipped off authorities about Nadeem’s whereabouts near an abandoned quarry in Arvalia. DSP Manju Chauhan’s team quickly moved in and cornered him in an old, derelict quarter. Under intense questioning, Nadeem confessed to the horrific crime.
Nadeem’s confession sent chills through the officers. On May 21, under the guise of reconciliation, Nadeem lured Saniya to a secluded spot. But instead of making amends, he strangled her in a jealous fit of rage. To cover up the crime, he set her body on fire in a garbage dump. When the flames didn’t fully burn the body, he stuffed the charred remains into a sack and scattered them across a desolate quarry.
When police recovered the remains, the discovery was grisly. A half-buried skull, fragments of ribs, a severed foot—fourteen bone pieces in total were found scattered across the site. These fragments became silent witnesses to the brutal murder.
Saniya’s father, Waseem, was left speechless when the skeletal remains were returned. The horror of what his daughter had endured became all too real. Forensic tests later confirmed that the remains belonged to Saniya.
The case was transferred to Eintkhedi police for trial, but even for the officers who sifted through ashes and bone fragments, the brutality of the crime was shocking.
Strained relations
Saniya’s mother had died when she was young, and she was raised by her grandmother. In 2020, she married Nadeem. From the start, their marriage was troubled with domestic abuse, suspicion, and cruelty. Just months before her murder, their infant daughter died tragically after boiling water was spilled on her.
The loss strained their elations further. Nadeem told police that he planned the murder as he was suspicious of his wife having an illicit affair with someone.
