Mother Disputes Suicide Cause of Daughter’s Death
Police say investigation is still continuing
Sofia Shabnam believes that her 17-year-old eldest daughter, Kushnuma Sahaista Ali, did not commit suicide.
The 37-year-old mother believes that her daughter was murdered.
The post-mortem report said hanging was the cause of Kushnuma’s death.
But Ms Shabnam said there were no visible marks of any rope or wire on her daughter’s neck.
“I am still trying to determine the actual cause of my daughter’s death,” she said.
“I believe that my daughter has been murdered. She cannot commit suicide.”
Ms Shabnam leaves in Sanyaiya Settlement in Lautoka with her three children.
“On Saturday (April 15, 2017) my daughter wanted to go to town but I refused.
“She kept on persisting that she wanted to go to town. I then told her to go but return home early. “She left home at around 10:30am and before leaving the house she kept on changing her clothes and I did not even notice what she was wearing. I was resting because I was sick,” she said
Ms Shabnam said she went to town with their neighbours.
“I do not know what happened and what they did in town,” she said.
Ms Shabnam claimed that from town her daughter with their neighbours went to her daughter’s boyfriend’s house in Field 40, Lautoka. Ms Shabnam claimed: “They were drinking at my daughter’s boyfriend’s place and my neighbours were also there.
“At 8:25pm my neighbour’s son had informed me that my daughter had called and she said she would be late.
“When he informed me about this, I became angry and called my daughter at around 8:30pm and asked my daughter where are you and she replied that she was playing billiard in Lautoka City.
“I then told my daughter to come straight home but my daughter told me that she would come late. I replied to my daughter ‘no, come home right now’ and my daughter replied that she was coming home and she hung up on me,” she said.
“At 11:20pm Police came and then informed me about my daughter’s death and her body was in the mortuary,” she said.
Ms Shabnam said she was completely shattered.
“The Police informed me that the body of my daughter was found in a house in Field 40 and someone had informed the Police about the death.
“The Police did not inform me of the cause of death of my daughter and I got to see my daughter’s body on Monday after her post-mortem was done,” she said.
Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said: “Investigation is still on-going.”
She also confirmed that the two people who were taken in for questioning about the death of Kushnuma had been released.