Gangster’s wife sent to 14-day judicial custody

A Delhi court on Thursday remanded Zoya Khan, the wife of alleged gangster Hashim Baba, to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the murder of gym owner Nadir Shah in the capital’s upscale Greater Kailash area last year.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Anuj Kumar Singh passed the order on an application filed by the police, stating that Khan’s custodial interrogation was no longer required.

“The police had initially sought her custody to unearth the larger conspiracy and establish her role in the case,” said a senior police official. “However, after questioning, her further custodial interrogation was deemed unnecessary.” The police suspect that aside from Baba, associates of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi may also be involved in the murder.

Officials have claimed that all the accused were in contact through encrypted app-based calls, while efforts are underway to recover the weapons used in the crime.

Khan, however, has denied any involvement in the crime. “My only crime is that I am Hashim Baba’s wife. I am not involved in any case against him,” she told the court during a previous hearing.

Her lawyer has argued that she is being framed due to her relationship with Baba. “There is no direct evidence linking my client to the murder. She is being harassed solely because of her husband’s past,” the counsel stated.

The victim, Nadir Shah, co-owned a gym in Greater Kailash Part 1 and had a history of criminal cases, including charges of robbery and attempted murder. He also ran a business in Dubai. Shah’s father, originally from Afghanistan, had settled in Delhi several years ago.