On July 6, 2022, at approximately 7:15 p.m., UK police were searching Fitzwilliam Street in Bradford, England. What they found shocked the entire nation. Amid piles of illegally dumped waste, officers noticed something unusual a carpet surrounded by flies and buried under garbage boxes. The hidden object beneath the carpet emitted a horrible stench, confirming the officers’ worst fears. When they unwrapped it, they discovered a woman’s decomposed body, later identified as 20 year old Somaiya Begum, who had been missing for 11 days.
The Life of Somaiya Begum
Somaiya Begum was a brilliant and ambitious young woman. A citizen of Pakistan, she had moved to England to study biomedical science at a prestigious university. Alongside her studies, she worked part-time as a caretaker, exemplifying her kindness and commitment to helping others. However, beneath her academic success and caring nature lay a life marked by struggle.
At just 16, her father, Yaseen Khan, tried to compel her into marriage a prospect she firmly opposed. With courage unusual for her age, Somaiya stood her ground, enlisting the support of her uncle Dawood and ultimately filing a police complaint. Under the UK’s Forced Marriage Protection Act, she was granted protection, and her father’s plans were thwarted. Forced to leave her parental home, she sought refuge with Dawood, who provided her with a safe haven. Under these protections, her parents were banned from contacting her without police permission.
A Glimpse of Hope Followed by Tragedy
For a time, Somaiya’s life appeared to be on an upward trajectory. After years of being homeschooled and isolated, she was finally attending university and experiencing a sense of freedom. However, this progress was tragically interrupted on June 25, 2022. That morning, Dawood left for work, and when he returned around 6:30 p.m., he found the door to their home ajar. Inside, he encountered his brother Mohammed Khan, a man with a notorious criminal background.
After asking Mohammed to leave, Dawood was met with silence when he called for Somaiya. She was missing, and her phone was switched off something entirely out of character for her. As the hours stretched into the night with no sign of her, Dawood’s concern deepened. He reported her disappearance to the police the next day, initiating a citywide search.
The Investigation and the Harrowing Discovery
The investigation quickly focused on Mohammed Khan as the prime suspect. Police attempted to contact him, but he refused to cooperate. When they finally confronted him at his shipping container home, he claimed ignorance about Somaiya’s disappearance, asserting he had last seen her when she opened the door for him. However, CCTV footage told a different story. It showed Mohammed arriving at Dawood’s house, followed by audio of a heated argument between a man and a woman, likely between him and Somaiya. CCTV footage also captured him driving around the city and later discarding a heavy object on Fitzwilliam Street events that coincided with the timeline of Somaiya’s disappearance.
The case against him grew stronger with the discovery of Somaiya’s burned cell phone near Mohammed’s container and bloodstains on a carpet in Dawood’s home. Forensic testing confirmed the blood belonged to Somaiya. Mohammed’s movements and actions on the day of the incident left little doubt about his involvement.
Court Proceedings and Mohammed’s Evasion
During the trial, Mohammed maintained his innocence regarding the murder but admitted to disposing of Somaiya’s body. His evasive responses and refusal to provide further details only deepened suspicions of premeditation. While his lawyer argued there was no intent to kill, overwhelming evidence, including CCTV footage and forensic data, worked against him.
Ultimately, Mohammed was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Somaiya’s father, Yaseen, had returned to Pakistan and evaded further questioning by authorities, leaving lingering doubts about his potential involvement in the crime.
The Societal and Cultural Context
Somaiya’s grievous death highlights a complex web of cultural norms, family dynamics, and systemic shortcomings. Her murder served as a sobering reminder of the struggles faced by women pursuing autonomy in patriarchal societies. It emphasized the dangers they encounter when defying oppressive norms and challenging expectations imposed by their families. Despite the existence of protective laws, Somaiya’s story is a heartbreaking testament to the limitations of those safeguards in the face of deeply rooted societal issues.
A Call for Change and Reflection
This case cannot be seen as merely the loss of one life; it reflects a broader societal struggle. While many men, like Dawood, stand as allies for women’s freedom and rights, others manipulate cultural traditions as tools of oppression. The tragedy of Somaiya Begum must serve as a call to action to dismantle harmful practices, ensure the effective enforcement of protective laws, and create a world where no one faces violence for choosing their own path
