A late-night quarrel between two men turned violent when one of them allegedly opened fire, injuring his rival and a bystander in southeast Delhi’s Govindpuri area.
The accused, Abdul Kadir alias Lalla (40), was arrested when he was attempting to flee the city. Another man has also been detained for questioning in connection with the case, police said.
They said they received a call around 1 am on Sunday. The caller reported that her brother-in-law, Rajkumar, was shot at near Sant Nirankari School and was being rushed to a nearby hospital.
In a statement, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said, “A police team reached the spot and learnt that Rajkumar was sitting behind a jagran chowki (night prayer gathering) when Kadir arrived. They got into a heated exchange, during which Kadir allegedly pulled out a gun and fired three rounds, hitting Rajkumar in the leg, abdomen and hand.”
Tiwari added that one of the bullets grazed the hand of a bystander, Aman Joshi. Both the injured were taken to a hospital, from where they were referred to AIIMS Trauma Centre.
“We tracked down Kadir when he was planning to escape from Delhi. One empty cartridge and blood-stained clothes were recovered from the spot. During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he runs a meat shop from his residence and had an altercation with Rajkumar earlier in the night. In a fit of rage, he opened fire,” the DCP said.
Police said both the victims are out of danger and are undergoing treatment. They said Kadir, a designated ‘bad character’ at Govindpuri police station, was recently released on bail in a 2013 murder case.
He has been previously involved in seven criminal cases related to murder and assault, and was earlier arrested on a non-bailable warrant.
Police said multiple teams have been formed to trace other suspects who may have assisted Kadir during or after the firing.
