Deaf-mute man arrested in Ghent over murder case in India

Deaf-mute man arrested in Ghent over murder case in India
The Court of East Flanders in Ghent. Credit: Belga / Jonas Roosens

A deaf-mute man (39) from Ghent has been arrested in Ghent on Tuesday on suspicion of possible involvement in a murder case in India, the East Flanders Public Prosecutor's Office announced.

The Belgian Justice Department opened a judicial investigation following a video that circulated online within the Indian deaf community, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office.

"The video shows the suspect communicating in sign language from Ghent with other suspects in India. The video can be linked to a murder case within the Indian deaf community, where the incident took place in early August," he said. "A 39-year-old man from Ghent, who is also deaf-mute, was arrested in his home by the Federal Judicial Police on 7 August."

A house search was also conducted and the man was brought before the investigating judge in Ghent on 9 August. The council chamber extended his detention by one month on Tuesday.

Instructions in sign language

According to Indian media, the victim of the murder is 44-year-old Arshad Ali Shaikh, a deaf-mute man who was killed in Mumbai on 4 August. The local police arrested two men who allegedly tortured and murdered the victim by beating him with a hammer and stabbing him with a broken bottle. The victim's wife was also arrested.

However, a video also surfaced in which a certain "Jazzy B" – who called from a Belgian number – showed video footage of the murder to another person via his telephone. The man from Belgium is said to have ordered the murder and to have given instructions in sign language while it was happening.

An investigation is now underway into the man's role in the murder case, the Public Prosecutor's Office states.

"International cooperation between the Belgian investigation team and the Indian investigators has been initiated and mutual legal assistance requests are being exchanged. This is made possible by a cooperation agreement between Belgium and India that was set up to efficiently tackle such cross-border crimes."

The man could be extradited to India at a later stage.


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