Ahmedabad youth found murdered, family blames inter-faith marriage

Ahmedabad, Sep 5 (IANS) The body of a youth, with injury marks on his body and his throat slit, was recovered from the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad on Monday morning, police said.

Police is investigating to find who murdered the youth and whether his inter-faith marriage was a reason behind the murder, as his family alleged.

Ahmedabad Riverfront East Police Inspector V.D. Zala said: "After the body was fished out, it was identified as of Hitesh Rathod, who is in early 20s. Married to Afsana Banu, he had, on Sunday afternoon, dropped off his wife at a market in the old city area and then had gone missing. Later when his wife called him, his phone was switched off."

Police Commissioner Sanjay Srivastava said it is definitely it is a murder case, but it too early to say who murdered him and why.

Rathod's family suspects that Afsana Banu's family can be behind the murder, because they were pressurising Rathod to convert to Islam.

However, defending her parents and family, Afsana Banu told the local media that her parents can't be behind her husband's murder, because they supported the couple getting their love marriage registered. They got married this May, but were in a relationship for more than one year.

Zala said that police have sent the body for a post-mortem examination, all aspects in the murder will be investigated, and both sides' statements will be recorded.