London, Oct 31 (PTI) A 23-year-old man charged with the murder of 19-year-old Indian national Mehak Sharma found with stab wounds at a home in Croydon south London was her husband, UK police said on Tuesday.
Sahil Sharma, also an Indian national and earlier misspelt as Shail Sharma by the Metropolitan Police, appeared before Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday and has been remanded in custody to appear before the Old Bailey court in London on Thursday. The Met Police said Mehak’s next of kin have been informed but formal identification remains pending, before which more details of the victim’s background remain unknown.
“Officers attended along with ambulance colleagues (on Sunday). A 19-year-old woman was found suffering stab injuries and she was pronounced dead at the scene,” the Met Police said.
“The man and woman were known to each other. At this stage, nobody else is sought in connection with the murder investigation,” the police said.
Sahil Sharma was arrested at the scene at Ash Tree Way in Croydon – believed to be the couple’s residential address – on suspicion of murder on Sunday evening. He was taken to hospital as he was suffering a “minor head injury”.
Met Police said its officers were called to a report of a deceased woman at the address and attended the scene along with London ambulance paramedics. On arrival, the woman later identified as Mehak Sharma was found suffering stab injuries and pronounced dead at the scene. A special post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place this week.
Earlier, the Met Police had revealed that she was an Indian national who is thought to have arrived in the UK “relatively recently” as they worked on tracing to inform her family. They have now reiterated calls for “anyone with information that may assist the investigation, including anyone who saw or heard a disturbance on Sunday afternoon at the address in Ash Tree Way”, to contact the police.
Neighbours at Ash Tree Way reported seeing a man bleeding from the head and armed officers and a police helicopter being deployed in the residential area on Sunday. The police reportedly had to force entry into the property where they discovered Mehak Sharma’s body. PTI AK ZH ZH
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