Body of Briton 'killed by devil' in Mombasa exhumed for postmortem
Lutfunisa Khandwalla, 44, died on August 2, 2020, and was buried the same day at the Memon cemetery, Mombasa.
The body of a 44-year-old British citizen who died under mysterious circumstances while holidaying in Kenya has been exhumed for toxicology tests and a postmortem.
Government Pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor led the exhumation of Ms Lutfunisa Khandwalla’s body for a medical procedure to establish the cause of her sudden death.
Ms Khandwalla’s body was buried at Memon Community Cemetery on August 3, 2020.
Her family, their lawyer Jacinta Wekesa, Dr Oduor, a private pathologist and a contingent of security officers were present when the work began at the cemetery.
The pathologist wants to establish what killed the woman, whose family said she was not suffering from any known disease when she reportedly died and was hurriedly buried when she visited her husband’s family in Mombasa.
The body was exhumed after her brother Imran Admani obtained an order from a Mombasa court.
Mr Admani said in court documents that he suspected foul play in the death of his sister.
He said he became suspicious when his in-laws told him that his sister had been killed by the devil.
In an explosive affidavit, Mr Admani, who resides in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, said he could not make sense of the claims.
“I am seeking an exhumation order, to perform an autopsy on the deceased to ascertain the cause of her mysterious sudden death and to help in further investigations,” he told the court.
Police and family members at Memon Cemetery where Ms Lutfunisa Khandwalla's body was exhumed for toxicology tests and a postmortem.
Ms Khandwalla died on August 2 and was buried the following day.
She met her death while visiting her husband’s relatives in Mombasa, where it is alleged the “devil” killed her as a spiritual leader tried to help her.
She was supposed to have returned to the UK the day before she died but was delayed because of a lockdown imposed by the Kenyan government to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji, who was joined in the exhumation proceedings, told the court that at least 14 witnesses had recorded their statements regarding the incident.
State Counsel Vivian Kambaga told Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate Rita Orora that the inquiry file received from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations had Arif Mohamed as the main suspect in the mysterious death as Ms Khandwalla was under his care and direction at the time.
Ms Kambaga supported the exhumation, noting that the outcome of the postmortem will directly influence the decision of the DPP in the inquiry.
“The 14 witnesses have recorded statements incriminating the suspect. One of the things pending perusal by the DPP is a postmortem,” she said.
She added that the DPP could not conclusively determine whether there is criminal culpability without a postmortem report.
“The respondents have not demonstrated the prejudice that would be suffered if the deceased’s body is exhumed and a postmortem analysis is conducted and a report made,” Ms Kambaga said.
The report about Ms Khandwalla’s death was made at the Central Police Station in Mombasa on August 5 this year.
Mr Mohamed was described in court documents as a religious, spiritual leader and a seer who receives revelations from an unnamed prophet.
Mr Admani said the urgency with which their sister was buried after the family was notified of her death raised suspicion and that they wanted a postmortem conducted to clear the air.
The court heard that Ms Khandwalla had died in the house and that the “devil” had killed her. Not even her close family members got the opportunity to attend her burial, Mr Admani said.
