A murder investigation that began in Noida took an unexpected turn in Katihar after Raman Raj, wanted in connection with Mahek Ahmed’s death, was arrested in a liquor case. Police allege Mahek’s body was found inside Raman’s rented room in Barola. Noida Police have reached Katihar and are pursuing legal procedures to seek his custody.
A murder investigation that began in Noida has taken an unexpected turn nearly 1,000 kilometres away in Katihar, where a man wanted in connection with the death of a young woman was arrested in a separate liquor case. The accused, identified by police as Raman Raj, is a resident of Katihar in Bihar. Noida Police had been searching for him after the body of a woman, identified as Mahek Ahmed, was found inside his rented room in the Barola area.
Raman was subsequently arrested by Katihar Police in connection with an alleged liquor offence. Noida Police have now reached Katihar and are following the required legal process to seek his custody for questioning in the murder investigation, according to a report by Aaj Tak.
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The night before Mahek’s body was found
Mahek, who was from Assam, lived with her friend in room number 13 of a rented building in Barola. Raman lived on the same floor in room number 23. Police said the two knew each other and were friends.
According to Mahek’s roommate, the two were seen together during the night of August 7 and 8. The woman allegedly saw Mahek and Raman drinking on Raman’s balcony.
They reportedly had a bottle of liquor, a bottle of water and chips with them and spent some time talking. Later, both went inside Raman’s room.
The next morning, Mahek’s roommate noticed that she was missing from their room. She called her phone, but it was switched off.
The roommate then went towards Raman’s room and found its door locked. Raman’s phone was also unreachable, raising suspicion.
The building owner, Sarthak Bansal, was informed about the situation. A caretaker subsequently broke open the lock.
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Body found inside locked room
When the door was opened, people reportedly noticed a strong smell coming from inside. Mahek’s body was found lying on the floor. Police said it was covered in blood.
The police were immediately informed and reached the building to begin their investigation.
Two major questions confronted investigators: how had Mahek ended up inside Raman’s room, and where had Raman gone?
Police questioned Mahek’s roommate and other people living in the building. Their statements reportedly strengthened suspicion around Raman.
A murder case was registered at Sector 49 police station in Noida on August 10, following which police began searching for him.
By then, however, Raman had allegedly left Noida.
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From Noida to his hometown
Investigators traced Raman’s movements and learnt that he had travelled towards Katihar, his hometown in Bihar.
However, his arrival in Katihar brought another unexpected development.
Bihar has prohibition on alcohol. During a police patrol, personnel from Katihar Nagar Police allegedly spotted Raman near Phulwari Kali Mandir Pokhar.
Police said five bottles of liquor were recovered from him. He was arrested and a case was registered against him under the state’s liquor prohibition laws.
At that stage, Katihar Police were dealing with a liquor case, while Noida Police were searching for the same man in connection with a murder investigation.
The two cases came together when Noida Police learnt that Raman was already in custody in Katihar.
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Noida Police reach Katihar
A Noida Police team subsequently travelled to Katihar to take the investigation forward.
However, Raman cannot simply be taken from Bihar to Uttar Pradesh because he is already in custody in another case. The Noida team must complete the necessary court and judicial procedures before obtaining his custody.
Police are therefore pursuing the required process to seek his remand for questioning in connection with the Noida murder case.
Katihar DSP Vishal Anand said Raman had been arrested in the liquor case and that Noida Police had reached Katihar in connection with the murder investigation. He also said Katihar Police were cooperating with the Noida team.
What happened inside the room?
Several questions remain unanswered.
Investigators will need to establish exactly what happened after Mahek entered Raman’s room that night. They will also have to determine how she died, whether she was attacked, what may have led to her death and whether anyone else was involved.
Police are also expected to examine Raman’s movements after the incident and the route he took from Noida to Katihar.
The discovery of Mahek’s body and Raman’s absence from the room are central parts of the investigation so far. However, the allegations against him have not been established in court and remain subject to police investigation and judicial proceedings.
For now, a case that began with the discovery of a young woman’s body in a rented room in Noida has moved to Katihar, where police are waiting for the legal process to allow them to question the man they suspect in the case.
His questioning could provide crucial leads about what happened on the night of August 7 and 8 and help investigators piece together the circumstances surrounding Mahek’s death.
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