Shocking Twists from RTA to Targeted Firing
VIVEK SHARMA
- Jammu Police admitted use of firearms; GMC’s medical report, according to reliable sources, suggests stab wounds on deceased’s body.
- JK Medicity hospital hints at multiple stab injuries, says all three injured girls Left Against Medical Advice (LAMA) within half an hour after first-aid on August 21 night.
- Deceased girl’s sister, Ludhiana based girl, Physiotherapy centre operator detained.
JAMMU: The sensational Sainik Colony firing case has taken yet another twist, with investigators now grappling with a crucial unanswered question – where are the bullets and bullet injuries? The crime, which took place on August 21, was initially recorded as a Road Traffic Accident (RTA) but was later converted into a case of targeted firing on September 19.
Though Jammu Police confirmed that firearms were used in the incident that claimed the life of Mehjabeen Akil Sheikh (30) of Mumbai and left her sister Fatima Akil (21) injured, the hospitals that treated the victims – JK Medicity, ASCOMS Sidhra and GMC Jammu – have consistently recorded the wounds as stabbing injuries. Even GMC doctors have claimed the injuries were consistent with stabbing. GMC Jammu is reportedly going to submit its written report on Monday citing stabbing.
This contradiction has triggered a million-dollar question: Who operated upon the injured Mehjabeen, also known as Muskan, after she was declared serious with suspected bullet injuries? She was shifted to GMC Jammu late on August 21 night and succumbed to her injuries on August 29 after nearly a week of treatment.
The absence of any bullet recovery or bullet injury marks from the deceased’s body has now become a major puzzle in the Crime Branch probe, especially since Jammu Police has already stated in a press release the use of firearms.
Reliable sources told STATE TIMES that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch is actively searching for the missing bullets, the assailant, and the weapon of offence. Investigators suspect deliberate concealment or tampering at some stage, given the contradictory medical findings and the police’s later conclusion of firearm use.
CCTV footage collected from the locality reportedly shows some youth near the scene on the night of the incident, further widening the ambit of investigation. Two girls including deceased’s sister Fatima and Jaspreet Kour (28) of Ludhiana along with Naveen Bakshi, a Nowshera-based man who was operating a physiotherapy centre at House No. 157-A, Sainik Colony, have been detained for questioning. Sources confirmed that Bakshi is currently in police custody.
Meanwhile, SHO Channi Himmat Inspector Deepak Pathania, IC/PP Sainik Colony PSI Wasim Bhatti, and Investigating Officer PSI Rohit Sharma have been attached to the Range Police Headquarters. Reliable sources said the action was taken over alleged lapses in the early handling of the case when it was projected as a road accident.
The probe, now formally under FIR 152/2025 registered under Sections 103(1), 109, 332(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 3/25 of the Arms Act, is being investigated by the Crime Branch with forensic, digital, and field teams pressed into service.
With the missing bullet at the centre of the mystery, and key suspects under scrutiny, the case has turned into one of the most complex crime investigations in Jammu since the Amandeep Murder Case of 2009. The coming days may reveal whether the concealment was deliberate and orchestrated, or merely a result of serious lapses by the police investigators.