Mohammed Ibrahim, a 39-year-old Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, was killed in front of his residence at Wadi-e-Shaheen in Hyderabad on Sunday. He was stabbed by two assailants, who came on a bike.
The two accused, Mohammed Asif and Khayum of Asifnagar, stabbed Ibrahim amidst an argument. They have been identified by police. While two individuals accused of Ibrahim’s murder have been arrested, the family reports not receiving an FIR copy or any discharge paper from the hospital.
The police informed that the murderers had snatched the victim’s cell phone, and had demanded money by Sunday to return it. Reacting to Ibrahim’s refusal to comply, they stabbed him in broad daylight.
Ibrahim sought refuge in India in 2017 during the genocidal violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar. Although initially detained at the border, he was later released after being registered with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Ibrahim, a daily wage labourer, had been married to a Rohingya refugee for a year and left behind a two-month-old daughter. He lived with his extended family, including his aged parents and four siblings.
Police said they acted swiftly and reached the spot as soon as they received the news and facilitated shifting Ibrahim to the Osmania General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (R4R) expressed “deep sorrow” and “condemned” the killing.
“R4R urgently calls upon the UNHCR and its partners to intervene in this matter to ensure protection. We also request local authorities to provide security to the affected family, ensure justice, and address the threats faced by Rohingya refugees in the area. We urge the community to cooperate with local authorities and maintain harmony during this challenging time,” R4R statement said.
In the aftermath of Ibrahim’s murder, the community has protested, and the police have assured justice. The family reports receiving threats from gang members and urgently requests relocation to a safer environment.
