Mumbai:
A court in Mumbai has remanded Parvez Ahmed Tak, stepfather of Bollywood actor Laila Khan and a suspect in her disappearance case, to police custody till July 19. Tak was brought to the city from Jammu on Sunday night by the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police for questioning in connection with the case.
Tak has reportedly told the Jammu Police that Laila, who had been missing for 11 months, was murdered along with her mother, Celina, and other members of her family. During interrogation, he revealed that they were shot dead near Mumbai by three men who included Celina's second husband, a man named Asif Sheikh, and a man named Afghan Khan who was reportedly Laila's lover. Tak was the third and current husband of Celina.
The Crime Branch, which is probing the disappearance of Laila and her family, had on Saturday secured permission from the Kishtwar court in Jammu to bring Tak to Mumbai. They have already arrested
Sheikh who has confessed to having murdered Laila but want to question Tak to confirm whether she was indeed killed.
Laila's biological father, Nadir Patel, has already filed a case of kidnapping at the Oshiwara police station against Tak and Sheikh. Patel was divorced from Laila's mother, Celina.
Laila lived in a suburban Mumbai flat with her mother, three siblings, and another relative. They disappeared from their flat on February 7, 2011. The Mumbai police says they were taken by her stepfather, Parvez Tak, to a farmhouse in the Nashik district. This was the last location traced through Laila's cellphone records. A few days later, the farmhouse was set on fire.
The motive for the murder was allegedly the property owned by Laila and her mother. They owned two flats in Mumbai, and Celina's second husband and Laila's boyfriend wanted to stop her from selling these apartments.
The Mumbai police says no body parts of Laila or her relatives have been found; they don't buy Parvez's account.
Laila co-starred with actor Rajesh Khanna in the movie "Wafa" which released in 2008.
The film's producer, Rakesh Sawant, was questioned by the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad, about his funding and alleged links to terrorists.