VASCO
In a shocking and tragic turn of events, Baina witnessed a chilling crime on Sunday afternoon when a 64-year-old woman was brutally stabbed to death inside her own flat.
The victim, identified as Mahirunissa Bidikar, was attacked in her third-floor residence at Naik Building, Baina, in what locals described as a shocking and terrifying sequence of events that unfolded within minutes.
According to locals, the incident occurred around 1.45 pm when the accused, later identified as 21-year-old Rohom Ali, a native of Assam, was spotted wandering inside the building. He had managed to reach the terrace door on the top floor and began banging on it, trying to gain access.
Hearing the commotion, Mahirunissa, who lived on the floor just below the terrace, went up to check. When she questioned the man’s presence and requested him to leave, he refused to comply. Concerned, she immediately went down to the first floor and alerted a neighbour about the intruder.
The neighbour then confronted the accused near the terrace door, asking him to leave. However, the accused once again refused, prompting the neighbour to warn him that the police would be called. While the neighbour dialled the police helpline, Mahirunissa briefly accompanied him to his flat before returning to her own.
To her horror, by the time she returned, the accused had already slipped into her flat and hid inside her bedroom. The moment she entered, he reportedly grabbed a kitchen knife from the house and stabbed her on the neck. The elderly woman screamed for help, but the injuries proved fatal, and she died on the spot before neighbours could intervene.
As her screams echoed through the building, shocked residents rushed towards her flat. The accused, however, was hiding inside the bedroom. By then, police had reached the scene following the neighbour’s call. Officers found Mahirunissa lying lifeless in the hall and swiftly overpowered the accused, who was still inside the house.
The Mormugao police immediately arrested the accused and confirmed that the motive behind the crime is still under investigation. A panchanama was carried out, and the victim’s body was shifted to the hospital for post-mortem. The body is expected to be handed over to the family for final rites on Monday.
Family members and locals expressed deep shock at the incident. Mahirunissa lived in the flat with her son, but her son was away on some work at the time of the murder. She also has two daughters — one based abroad and another residing in Pune — both of whom are likely to arrive in Goa on Monday.
Locals revealed that the victim had purchased the flat a few years ago but was unhappy with the living conditions. The building itself, they said, was in a dilapidated condition, and she had recently asked relatives to help her find a new place on rent. In fact, friends had already identified another flat for her, and she was scheduled to inspect it on Monday to finalise her move. “She would have finalised the house by tomorrow and shifted within a week, but sadly, she lost her life today at the hands of an intruder,” a local resident said, describing the cruel twist of fate.
The brutal killing has sent shockwaves across Baina, with residents shaken by the fact that such a crime unfolded in broad daylight inside a residential building. Police have assured that further investigation will establish the motive and background of the accused.
