Malayalam actor Sahana found dead on 22nd birthday; parents allege domestic violence, say husband murdered her

Model-turned-actor Sahana was found dead in mysterious circumstances at her residence in Kozhikode on Thursday night. As per reports, the actor had celebrated her 22nd birthday earlier in the day. Sahana’s parents have alleged that she suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her husband Sajjad. Police has detained Sajjad for questioning as part of investigations into the actor’s death. Also read: Malayalam actor Kottayam Pradeep dies at 61; Prithviraj Sukumaran, Mammootty, Mohanlal pay tribute

Sahana had started her career working in a number of advertisements in Kerala and had recently worked in a Tamil film too. Her husband Sajjad had worked in Qatar earlier but as per reports, is currently unemployed. The couple lived in a rented house in Kozhikode. Her body was found on Thursday night by her husband.

Sahana’s family have alleged that she could have been murdered by Sajjad and his parents. They say that he used to harass her for money. Speaking to the media on Friday, Sahana’s mother said, “My daughter would never die by suicide, she was murdered. She used to cry all the time saying they were torturing her. He used to get drunk and create trouble. His parents and sister were also torturing her, then I suggested that they move to a separate house. Even after that my daughter told me that he was behaving badly with her and wanted money. The 25 sovereigns of gold that we gave had been used. She had wanted to meet us on her birthday.”

Sajjad has claimed innocence in the matter and said that he found his wife dead in the bathroom. The couple’s landlord told Matrubhoomi News, “I heard Sajjad’s call for help and I rushed to the house. When I entered the house, I saw his wife lying on his lap. When I asked him what happened, he said she was not responding. So I asked him to take her to the hospital. We then called the police and they reached here within five minutes.”

The police is investigating the case and have not conclusively ruled out foul play. A senior police official was quoted as saying by the News Minute that it is not yet certain whether this was a case of suicide. ACP K Sudarshan told the publication on Friday, “She acted in a Tamil venture and received some money for it recently. The couple seem to have had arguments over this. Yesterday was her birthday, but he came back late. The couple had another argument then. According to the husband, he found her dead inside the bathroom after that.”

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