Daughter reported parents tied up, poisoned boyfriend, court hears

The daughter of a couple accused of murder allegedly called police to report that her parents had tied up her boyfriend and force-fed him a substance, the High Court in Lautoka heard yesterday.

A former police emergency-line operator gave evidence about the call he said he received from Farnaaz Nisha concerning her boyfriend, 18-year-old student Jeet Singh.

Mohammed Naushad and his wife, Nazreen Nisha Khan, are on trial before Justice Hamza, jointly charged with Singh’s murder.

Naushad also faces a charge of criminal intimidation.

The couple is alleged to have murdered and poisoned Singh at their home in Waiqali Settlement, Maro, Sigatoka, on June 30, 2022.

The prosecution alleges the accused forced Singh to ingest a chemical at their home.

Singh, who was believed to have been in a relationship with the couple’s daughter, was later found lifeless outside his girlfriend’s residence on the same day.

The first witness was a police officer who was stationed in Suva as a 917 emergency-line operator.

He gave evidence about calls he received concerning an alleged assault involving Singh and the steps he took after receiving the reports.

The witness told the court that he received a call from Farnaaz Nisha, who reported that her boyfriend, Samuel Singh, had allegedly been assaulted by her parents after being tied up and force-fed a substance.

Based on his experience handling emergency calls, the witness described Nisha as sounding panicked and in a hurry to relay the information.

The officer said he immediately contacted Sigatoka Police Station and informed a police officer identified as PC Josefa about the reported incident.

He later received another call from a woman who identified herself as Singh’s mother.

She reported that her son had been assaulted and fed weedkiller.

The witness said Nisha called again and told him she was going to the police post to inform Singh’s family.

He subsequently followed up with the officer at Sigatoka Police Station and was told police officers were on their way to the scene.

During cross-examination, defence counsel challenged the witness over the absence of any reference to Nisha’s alleged panic in both his written statement and notebook.

The witness acknowledged that the detail had not been recorded but maintained that he remembered the tone of her voice during the call.

The court clarified that the defence’s contention regarding the caller’s tone would be recorded as an omission.

The accused are represented by Iqbal Khan and Samuela Heritage, while the State is represented by Sheenal Swastika.

The trial continues today.