Boyfriend in court over student, 21, whose body was dumped in suitcase
A BUSINESS student whose body was dumped in a suitcase was murdered by her boyfriend, a court heard yesterday.
Sniffer dogs found the body of Hina Bashir, 21, in a foetal position inside the suitcase in a ditch on Sunday – six days after she was last seen alive.
Muhammad Arslan, 26, who came from the same village in Pakistan and moved to Britain six months ago to be with her, appeared at the Old Bailey charged with her murder.
Miss Bashir’s worried father had called her bosses when he was unable to reach her.
But she had not turned up at the security firm where she worked part time at Queen Mary University, east London.
The firm’s staff raised the alarm after visiting her home in Ilford. Police found her body after following tracks on a grassy verge in Upminster that appeared to have been made by suitcase wheels.
A post-mortem examination has not yet determined the cause of death.
Miss Bashir had travelled to Britain on a student visa to study business management at Coventry University London.
Arslan appeared via videolink from Thameside Prison wearing a grey sweatshirt, speaking only to confirm his identity.
Judge Mark Dennis QC adjourned the case until October
with a trial pencilled in for next June. Arslan was remanded in custody.
Scotland Yard issued an appeal for more information about the killing yesterday.
Detective Chief Inspector David Whellams said: ‘ My thoughts are with Hina’s family who have suffered a terrible loss. We are continuing our work to develop a full understanding of what happened to Hina, not just in recent days but in the weeks prior to this terrible incident.
‘I know that Hina hadn’t been in the UK for too long. I would urge anyone who may have known her to come forward. Any information that you hold could be important to the investigation.’
Chief Superintendent Simon Crick, who leads the police unit in Upminster, offered his condolences to Hina’s family at this ‘incredibly difficult time’.
‘Suffered a terrible loss’