17-year-old shot dead in dispute at lawyer’s office in Delhi’s Govindpuri

The incident took place when the suspect and his associates got into a dispute with the lawyer on Sunday night, police said

A 17-year-old boy was shot dead in a dispute at a lawyer’s office on Sunday in south Delhi’s Govindpuri.

The lawyer’s family said that the teenager worked as a clerk at the office. (Image for representation)

The incident took place when the suspect and his associates got into a dispute with the lawyer on Sunday night, police said. The lawyer’s family said that the teenager worked as a clerk at his office.

A crowd of nearly 25 local residents present at the spot caught one of the suspect’s associates and thrashed him. The suspect and two other associates, meanwhile, managed to flee. Police said that two of them were later arrested.

An FIR was registered at Govindpuri police station for firing, murder and rioting. Three of the suspects in the firing – Gulam Mohammad, Ankit and Syed Mukkim Raza – were arrested. Varun Bidhuri alias Binnu, who allegedly shot at the 17-year-old, is on the run with the weapon, police said. Multiple teams were formed to conduct raids and nab Bidhuri, said deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Rajesh Deo.

Sharing details of the firing incident, the police said that the lawyer Sushil Gupta was present at his office with a client named Zafrool. Around 10.30pm, Zafrool received a call from Syed Mukkim Raza, a gym trainer, who asked him to return his money, the police said.

“Zafrool disconnected the call but then received another call, this time from Raza’s friend Ankit. He threatened Zafrool with dire consequences if he did not return the money. Zafrool asked Gupta to intervene after which a heated argument ensued between Gupta and Ankit,” said a police officer.

A while later, Ankit arrived at Gupta’s office along with Raza and their two associates – Varun Bidhuri, who runs a gym in Kalkaji, and Gulam Mohammad.

“A fight broke out between the two groups in the office. Some 25 locals arrived at the scene after which Bidhuri whipped out a pistol. In a bid to scare the crowd, he fired three rounds. However, one of the bullets hit the 17-year-old boy in the back. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead,” said Deo, adding that Varun, Ankit, and Raza fled through the terrace of the building.

The police said the crowd caught Gulam and thrashed him. They vandalised the car they came in and even attacked three passersby mistaking them to be associates of the suspect.

“After a search, Ankit and Raza were found hiding on the terrace of a nearby building,” added the DCP.