17-year-old held for shooting dead girlfriend’s mother in Jahangirpuri in Delhi

The victim’s family blamed the police for inaction, claiming they lodged a complaint alleging the boy was threatening to shoot the girl’s parents around a month ago

A 17-year-old boy was held on Saturday, along with two others, for allegedly shooting dead a 37-year-old woman at her Jahangirpuri home on Friday after she objected to the boy’s relationship with her 15-year-old daughter as he followed a different religion, police said.

Family members of the victim said the boy visited their home around 3pm to look for the girl and upon not being able to find her, confronted her mother on the first floor of the house. (Representational image)

The victim’s family blamed the police for inaction, claiming they lodged a complaint alleging the boy was threatening to shoot the girl’s parents around a month ago, to no avail. The minor and one of his friends were apprehended from Gorakhpur, and the third accused was held from Gurugram. Their ages are being verified, police said.

Family members of the victim said the boy visited their home around 3pm to look for the girl and upon not being able to find her, confronted her mother on the first floor of the house. “My sister-in-law said that she (the girl) was not in Delhi anymore and has been sent to a hostel. He further asked my sister-in-law about where the hostel is but she refused to tell him. He immediately shot her twice and fled with his friends,” a 28-year-old relative said.

Investigators said the boy and the girl were in a relationship for a few years and had eloped at least three times, but each time, the girl’s parents filed a kidnapping case and police retrieved her. Two cases, including one of rape, were registered against the accused was apprehended. Eventually, the girl’s parents decided to send her to a school not in Delhi to keep her away from the boy, which enraged him, police said.

The relative cited above said: “He used to call my brother, sister-in-law, her brother and even a nephew from different numbers. About 40 days ago, my brother also lodged a complaint that the boy was threatening them but no one took it seriously. They said he was in juvenile home.”

Responding to allegations, a senior police officer said that they will look into the matter.

Police said personnel, including paramilitary troops, were deployed in the area following the incident as the two are from different religions and Jahangirpuri has a mixed population, with history of violence.