Sarvjit Singh
Jammu Tawi, Sep 26 : The prime accused behind a shooting incident last month that claimed the life of a young woman and injured two others was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Crime Branch here on Friday, officials said.
Mehjabeen Akil Sheikh (30), a resident of Mumbai, was killed and her sister Fatima (21) and colleague Jaspreet Kaur (28) of Punjab were injured following the shooting in a house in Sector A, Sainik Colony on the city outskirts on August 21.
An attempt was made to pass off the shooting as a road accident by the associates of the victims and some jurisdictional Police Officials, leading to the suspension of three Police Officers, including the station house officer of the Channi Himmat police station Deepak Pathania, Police Post Sainik Colony In-charge PSI Waseem Bhatti, and PSI Rohit Sharma on September 19, after a probe revealed that the woman died of bullet injuries.
Subsequently, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch, which arrested the main accused, Sher Singh, from the city outskirts, the officials said.
Three police officers, including the Station House Officer of Channi Himmat Police Station, have been suspended for allegedly mishandling and attempting to misrepresent the circumstances surrounding the death of a Mumbai woman in a house in Sainik Colony in Jammu last month.
On August 30, 2025, inquest proceedings were initiated under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) after the death of Mehjabeen Akil Sheikh (30), a resident of Mumbai, who was admitted to GMC Hospital Jammu with stab and gunshot-type injuries. Initially, the persons escorting the injured misrepresented the medical officers about the cause of injuries attributing to an accident and accordingly the hospital records suggested the injuries were caused by a road traffic accident. However, suspicions raised about the accuracy of reporting.
During the inquiry, police collected medical records, witness statements, and CCTV footage from the Sainik Colony area. A key witness, Naveen Bakshi, later disclosed that on August 21, 2025, unknown assailants had forcibly entered his rented accommodation in Sainik Colony and opened fire, injuring Mehjabeen, her sister Fatima Sheikh (21), and their colleague Jaspreet Kaur (28).
The injured were initially taken to a private hospital, where they falsely reported the incident as a road accident out of fear. They were later shifted to GMC Jammu for advanced treatment. Tragically, Mehjabeen succumbed to her injuries on August 29, while Fatima remains under treatment. Jaspreet Kaur was discharged after a few days.
On the basis of evidence and statements, an FIR (No. 152/2025) was registered under Sections 103(1)/109/332(b) BNS and Section 3/25 Arms Act at Channi Himmat Police Station.
The revelations of mishandling and attempted cover-up by police officers led to their suspension on September 19, pending a departmental inquiry.
