Farzana Khatoon, wife of NIA officer Tanzil Ahmad who was shot dead in the April 3 attack, which also left her grievously injured succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday morning. She was battling for life at AIIMS trauma centre, NIA said in a statement.
Farzana was returning from a family function along with her husband and children when they were attacked in Bijnor. Tanzil Ahmed, who was on the team probing Pathankot terror attack, was killed while Farzana was seriously hurt in the firing by motorcycle-borne assailants.
AIIMS PRO Amit Gupta said, “She was received from private hospital after eight days of injury on April 11 at 4:30 pm with diagnosis of severe sepsis and lung consolidation.”
He added, “On her admission here, she was critically ill on ventilator and was not responding.
She was managed in ICU with antibiotics, inotropes and blood products however, she continued to deteriorate and succumbed to her injuries on April 13 at 10:55 am.”
“Her last rites took place at Jamia Milia University Campus burial ground at 6.30 pm on Wednesday,” said an NIA officer. In the “planned attack”, the killers had pumped 24 bullets into 45-year-old Ahmad and four into his wife Farzana, as their daughter, 14, and son, 12, watched the gruesome incident from the back seat of the Wagon-R car they were travelling in. The children had escaped the attack. Initially, the NIA had said Farzana was “out of danger…There is no damage to her vital organs.”
Ahmad, who has been with the NIA ever since the organisation was formed in February 2009, had been investigating many cases especially related to banned Indian Mujahideen terror outfit. His superiors termed him as a thorough professional in intelligence gathering as well as investigation. Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested two alleged killers including a relative of Ahmad even as the alleged mastermind is still absconding.
Police has claimed that domestic dispute was the motive behind the crime. Among the two arrested is nephew of Ahmed’s brother-in-law Rehan. The alleged mastermind, identified as Muneer, is still at large, police had said.
According to the police, the motorcycle-borne accused followed Ahmad who was returning home in Sahaspur village of Bijnor district with his family after attending his niece’s wedding in another village in the same district on the intervening night of April 2 and 3. The attackers overtook his vehicle at Sahaspur village and Muneer allegedly fired at Ahmed and his wife. Along with Rehan, his accomplice Zainul was also arrested.