Text messages on his wife’s phone sent ‘gentle giant’ Shahab Ahmed into a jealous rage, police allege

IT worker Khondkar Fariha Elahi, 29, is one of five people allegedly murdered by their spouse this year as police wrestle with an increase in domestic violence — a scourge that often hides from public view.

Shahab Ahmed (right) has been charged with the murder of his wife Khondkar Fariha Elahi.

A MAN allegedly murdered his wife because he found what he claims were intimate messages from his friend on her phone, police allege.

Parramatta IT worker Khondkar Fariha Elahi, 29, is one of five people in NSW allegedly murdered by their partners this year, with police “disturbed” there have been more than double the number of suspected domestic violence-related deaths than at the same time in 2016.

Four women, aged 29 to 74, and one man have allegedly been murdered by their partners. That included a bloody day on February 18 when Tina Cahill, 25, allegedly fatally stabbed her partner David Walsh, 29, outside their Padstow home in southwest Sydney in the morning and Ms Elahi was allegedly murdered by her husband Shahab Ahmed that night.

Arijit Barua, a family friend of Ms Elahi and Ahmed, said her death was a “huge shock”.

The couple, Shahab Ahmed and Khondkar Fariha Elahi.

David Walsh with his fiancee Tina Cahill who has been charged with his murder.

“Fariha was very bubbly, she loved to talk but over the last year she turned from a social butterfly to a very reserved person,” Mr Barua said.

He called Ahmed a “gentle giant”, saying, “he was very polite and soft-spoken”.

Mr Barua said the couple moved to Australia from Bangladesh five years ago but the marriage had been unhappy in the past 18 months.

He said on the night of Ms Elahi’s death Ahmed confronted her about his suspicions that she was having an affair with his friend.

Shahab Ahmed is taken away by police at the scene. Picture: Gordon McComiskie

About 9.50pm Ahmed allegedly stabbed his wife several times and she later died in hospital.

He remains in custody and has yet to enter a plea to a charge of murder.

After Ahmed’s first court appearance, his lawyer Zemarai Khatiz repeated the claims that his client had allegedly discovered his wife was having an affair on the night of her death.

Ms Elahi is rushed to hospital after the alleged attack. Picture: Gordon McComiskie

Since Ms Elahi’s death, two women, Harjit Kaur, 56, and Donna Green, 55, were found dead in their Sydney homes in March within two days of each other.

Donna Green was allegedly killed by her partner at her Bankstown home on March 5 this year.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Mick Fitzgerald described the number of suspected domestic violence-related deaths as “disturbing”.

“It represents the reality facing NSW Police and the community,” he said.

“It is a crime unlike any other, one where the victim experiences violence at the hands of someone they know and trust. In many incidents of domestic homicide, there is no past involvement with police.”

Related

Domestic Violence NSW CEO Moo Baulch said the “faces of the victims” allegedly killed at the hands of their partners was “just the tip of the iceberg”.

“We know there are hundreds of thousands of others living in fear of their lives,” she said.

Ms Baulch said it was common to see more such incidents early in the year when holidays and summer events brought families together.