HYDERABAD: It has been a decade or more since Mahaboob-Unissa-Begum divorced her husband Hasan Ali Khan. But the Pune-based stud farm owner or rather his shady deals continue to haunt her to date. The Hyderabad Police has questioned her in the last couple of days to see if she can throw light on the missing jewels or artefacts of the Salarjung Museum which Hasan Ali allegedly stashed away in the Union Bank of Switzerland.Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective) J Satyanarayana confirmed to Express that Hasan Ali’s first wife Mahaboob-Unissa-Begum was quizzed as part of the ongoing investigation into the missing artefacts. “She gave us some information and we are seriously looking into it. At this point of time, I cannot disclose the details. I can only say we are covering all aspects,” he said, adding that Mahaboob-Unissa-Begum could be quizzed again.Though she had initially tried to dodge them citing ill-health, the sleuths persisted in the hope of extracting vital leads from her. But, sources said, she had expressed ignorance of Hasan Ali’s connection to the Nizam’s artefacts. “She confirmed that Hasan Ali was actively involved in the trading of antiques.. facilitating interested buyers and sellers. She disclosed names of some of his associates,” the sources said. Mahaboob-Unissa-Begum hails from the royal Paigah family. During their investigation, the police discovered that Hasan Ali used to introduce himself to several people as one of the heirs of the Nizam’s family! Hasan Ali’s ex-wife further told the police that her former husband used to spend most of his money on horse races, particularly at the Malakpet Race course. It is learnt that the City Police questioned Mahaboob Unissa at her Banjara Hills residence. It was in the late 1990s that Hasan Ali and Mahaboob-Unissa-Begum separated after he met Rheema, sister of Faisal Abbas, a prominent horse trainer in Pune. Hasan Ali married Rheema in 2000 and since then, has shifted his base to Pune.
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