Nazia Hassan didn’t die of poison or foul play, probe by UK authorities shows

LONDON: The legendary "Disco Deewane" singer Nazia Hassan didn’t die of poison, or any kind of foul play, according to a high profile investigation by Scotland Yard, which established that the allegations of poisoning lacked merit.

Zoheb sparked a new controversy yesterday after claiming that a testimony by Nazia to a UK solicitor stated that her husband, Mirza Ishtiaq Baig, allegedly poisoned her and held her hostage. 

However, as per records maintained by authorities in the United Kingdom — after a joint investigation was carried out by the Scotland Yard detectives, a team of doctors and North London’s Coroner W Dolman — Nazia died of “natural causes” and there was no involvement of poison or any other substance.

The pop singer died on August 13, 2000, but the authorities released her body five months later, on January 9, 2001, after conducting a forensic investigation led by Scotland Yard’s specialist team.

After a thorough investigation into the cause of her demise, a death certificate was issued on January 9, 2001, by the local Brent Council’s Registrar S Palombo.

It was established by the investigation team that Nazia’s cause of death was "pulmonary thromboembolism, deep vein thrombosis, and carcinoma of the left lung".

Zoheb and other family members of the deceased singer, including father Bashir Hassan and mother Munazza Hassan, had claimed that Nazia Hassan and Ishtiaq Baig were already divorced at the time of the singer’s death but the UK authorities wrote in the certificate that Nazia Hassan was a singer by occupation and that she was the "wife of Ishtiaq Baig industrialist, of 57 Golders Green, London, NW11." 

Moreover, per the certificate, both shared the same address, which was then and now owned by Ishtiaq Baig.

Zoheb Hassan told The News that traces of poison were found in Nazia’s body because chemotherapy involves the use of such substances. 

“The doctors couldn’t differentiate between the poisons and as a result the report was inconclusive,” he said.

However, records held by UK authorities contradict the claim.

The death certificate noted that Nazia Hassan died at the age of 38 at the North London Hospice in Finchley – a care home dedicated for patients of special needs, the elderly, and those who always need a carer. 

The inquest was held on December 11, 2000, after the Scotland Yard detectives completed their investigation into the allegations against  Ishtiaq Baig and found no truth or substance to these allegations. Thus, deciding to take no action against the British national Ishtiaq Baig, never questioned or charged him.

A solicitor from England & Wales, Safdar Iqbal said that the death certificate, following the relevant Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD) issued by the Brent Council, "leaves nothing to imagination and speculation".

The lawyer said: “The death certificate is unequivocal. It evidently confirms that Nazia Hassan died of natural causes, was not poisoned at any stage, was not detained illegally and her death had nothing to do with what is being alleged now by her family.

“If there was foul play by Ishtiaq Baig in any form, then the Scotland Yard would have taken action and the coroner’s investigation would have pinned the blame if there was anything suspicious. The police would have then, on the face of facts, arrested and charged the suspect for homicide and slavery resulting in a maximum of a life sentence if there was any truth to these allegations.”

Safdar Iqbal added: “Poisoning someone is punishable under Offences Against the Person Act 1861 or by law” or detaining unlawfully someone against their will which amount to slavery is also a serious crime.

Farhana Rathore, a solicitor from Milton Keynes who deals in immigration and family matters, said it’s possible that Nazia Hassan (late) may have made allegations in writing and or orally against her husband Ishtiaq Baig, as it happens in marriages or relationships, but the evidence shows that the police didn’t take these allegations as cogent due to lack of evidence and took no action against Ishtiaq Baig, treating the allegations as nothing more than one person’s word against another’s lacking evidence. 

The medical record shows that Ishtiaq Baig and Nazia Hassan were still married when the singer died, however, there could be a question mark on the subsistence of their relationship, she said.

A spokesman of Scotland Yard also confirmed to Geo.tv on Friday that the death certificate of Nazia Hassan suggests “natural causes” of death.

The police spokesman said that “there would not have been any police investigation following the inquest”. The spokesman said that there is “no record of the police involvement in this case” after the inquest – which means the file was closed by the police once the natural causes of the death were established.

As per an understanding, Scotland Yard carried out a thorough investigation of the singer's death after her family submitted a statement recorded by Nazia eight days before her death.

In a statement recorded before her lawyers and witnesses, the late singer alleged that she thought she was being subjected to slow poisoning. The contents of Nazia’s detailed statement, which stretched over several pages, were also known to doctors treating the singer for her cancer. She had also made allegations of domestic violence in her statement.

Nazia had alleged that she was from time to time given poisonous substances which gradually damaged her body and internal organs. She had instructed her lawyers that in the event of her death, police should be asked to carry out a full investigation. Her lawyers told police of these instructions soon and an investigation started while her body was kept at a mortuary in North London.

The Scotland Yard detectives took control of Nazia's parents' home in the North London area as well as Ishtiaq Baig’s Golders Green home for many days as Nazia had been living at both the addresses prior to being shifted to the care home. The police took out forensic tests at the addresses to determine if there was poisoning involved. 

While the police carried out investigations, the family of Nazia and her husband were told to stay away from their addresses for the police to finish the forensic testing. The police investigation found that the allegations of poisoning and slavery were false.

Nazia Hassan and Ishtiaq Baig’s marriage was solemnised at the Wandsworth Registrar Office in London Borough of Wandsworth on July 28, 1995.