The head of a family whose wife and three children were brutally murdered in the village of Daryobod in Roudaki district, has revealed shocking details about the tragedy.  Speaking to Asia-Plus, Halim Ibrohimov, who was working in Russia at the time of the killings, said one of the main suspects is his long-time neighbor.

According to Ibrohimov, his wife was stabbed 17 times, while the children were attacked with both a knife and a sledgehammer.  He believes the motive behind the crime was money.

The murder occurred during the night of September 5–6, but only became public on September 8.  The case shocked local residents, who lived in fear for days as rumors spread across the village.

Police have detained two men in connection with the crime: Saifullo Azimov, a neighbor of the family, and 16-year-old Nu’mon Saidov.  However, Ibrohimov insists that more than two people must have been involved, since, in his words, “My children were strong.  Two people alone would not have been able to overpower them.”

Radio Ozodi, citing its own sources, has reported that four suspects have been taken into custody, but authorities have not officially confirmed this.

“Saifullo used to call me ‘Brother Halim’”

Ibrohimov described his relationship with the main suspect: “Saifullo’s family often visited us. He called me ‘Brother Halim,’ came to borrow firewood, milk, or yogurt.  His wife and mother came to our home, they knew everything about our life. We never had conflict.  When I heard he had been arrested, I couldn’t believe it.”

He added that he does not know the second suspect, Saidov, who is from another village.  According to Ibrohimov, the teenager was detained while allegedly trying to flee across the Uzbek border.  However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not confirmed this account.

Meanwhile, the mother of the teenager, Marifat Mirzoyeva, denied the accusations, telling Asia-Plus: “My son was at home the whole time, even that night. He could not have done this.  If I had known anything, I would have chained him to the house.”

She admitted her family has ties with Saifullo Azimov — her daughter is married to his brother — but insisted that she personally took her son to the police after receiving a summons.

“They were killed with knives and a sledgehammer”

Ibrohimov said his last contact with his family was on the day of the murder. When he was unable to reach them later, he asked a neighbor to check on the house.

“At first, she found the house dark and locked. The second time, she went together with Saifullo’s brother. They noticed the front door had been nailed shut. When they opened it, they found my 12-year-old son Sharaf under a pile of blankets, with his mouth and nose taped shut,” Ibrohimov recalled.

According to him, the boy had been struck with a sledgehammer and then suffocated. The discovery of his body set off alarms across the village, with neighbors calling the police and local authorities, who later uncovered the bodies of the mother and two daughters.

His eldest daughter, Habiba, 16, was first hit with a sledgehammer, then stabbed, and her body was dumped in an irrigation ditch and covered with grass.  His wife, Shahlo Nazarova, was found nearby with 17 stab wounds.

“I was told that Saifullo tried to strangle my wife, but she resisted.  Then he ordered his accomplice, Nu’mon, to stab her,” Ibrohimov said, adding that investigators found Azimov’s skin tissue under her fingernails.

His middle daughter, Hamida, 14, was killed in the barn with a knife and sledgehammer.  The attackers attempted to burn her body in a clay oven by covering it with wood and straw, but the fire failed to ignite.

Although Ibrohimov did not see the bodies himself, he dismissed circulating rumors that his daughters may have been sexually assaulted.

The motive: US$2,000 in savings

Ibrohimov said the killers told investigators they believed the family had large sums of money at home.

“We only had 22,000 somonis (US$2,000): 6,000 somonis from selling a cow and 16,000 somonis from my wages I had sent home.  We planned to build a new house.  But the criminals took everything,” he explained.

Neighbors told him the attackers had entered through an adjacent empty yard, waited for the family to fall asleep, and then climbed into his home using a ladder after the lights went out.

When his wife awoke to noises, Azimov reportedly tricked her, claiming soldiers had come to take Nu’mon away.  She invited them inside, unaware of their intentions.

“When she returned from checking the street, Saifullo killed her,” Ibrohimov said.

He added that the house showed no visible signs of violence — the courtyard was cleaned, and blood traces had been removed, suggesting the attackers had enough time to cover their tracks.

“Saifullo even came to the funeral”

Ibrohimov said he never met the detained suspects after the tragedy, but Saifullo Azimov himself attended the funeral of the victims in Faizobod.

Azimov, who had previously worked as a migrant laborer in Russia before being deported, was reportedly working with his wife in home renovation.  Authorities confirmed he had a prior criminal record and debts with a bank.

“After his arrest, I never saw any of his relatives again,” Ibrohimov said.

Attempts by journalists to contact Azimov’s family were unsuccessful. While some neighbors described his household as “a good family,” most admitted they knew little about him personally.

Village slowly returns to normal

The brutal killing had left residents of Daryobod terrified. Many families fled the village in the days after the crime, locking their homes and avoiding the streets.

After police detained the suspects, however, locals say they have begun to feel safer.

Ganjina Pirova, a villager, told Asia-Plus that her family temporarily moved to the city but returned only after hearing of the arrests.

“Now the streets are no longer empty, and people don’t lock their doors as before. Life is slowly returning to normal,” she said.

For now, authorities have not disclosed further details of the ongoing investigation.