Four cheques of Rs 5 lakh each handed over to a widow, Ayesha Begum, who represents a family of four that died in the recent blasts, have landed the Hyderabad district administration in a spot, as the cheques were issued in the name of the dead. District Revenue Officer Ananda Rao said, “The cheques were issued in Saleem’s name since the question of the legal heir is yet to be resolved. This way, the money would be safe in his personal account. If Saleem had named Ayesha as a nominee, she would get the amount.” Ayesha's brother, Mohd Saleem, 47, his wife Syeda Fareeda Naaz, 35 and their children, Ameer,8 and Ali,6, were killed in the blast at the Gokul Chat Bhandar. Ayesha went to the Collector’s office two days after the Black Saturday along with the kin of other blast victims and appealed for help in the presence of Minister for Energy, Mohd Ali Shabbir. Subsequently, the officials handed over four cheques to her. However, the cheques stand redundant as they have been issued in Saleem’s name. “The family lived in my flat in Humayunagar. I was dependent on them. Now, there is no one to support me,” she says. According to revenue officials, Saleem was a small-time contractor. His father, two brothers and three sisters, including Ayesha Begum, are all alive. “Identifying legal heirs as per the Muslim law has become a difficult task for us,” an officer said.
