2 passersby killed amid firing near Bara Hindu Rao

: Two passersby were killed amid a firing after at least four unidentified assailants opened fire at a local builder and his nephew at a market in Filmistan near Bara Hindu Rao on Thursday night, said police

: Two passersby were killed amid a firing after at least four unidentified assailants opened fire at a local builder and his nephew at a market in Filmistan near Bara Hindu Rao on Thursday night, said police. Though the builder and his nephew survived the alleged attack, tension gripped residents living in the crowded locality of north Delhi.

HT Image

The builder, Haji Naeem Ahmad Peer, and other locals said they heard at least half a dozen gunshots. The police said not more than three bullets were fired. One empty bullet shell and a cartridge were recovered from the incident spot, said police.

One of the passersby, identified as Sanjay Rajput who was in his mid-twenties, was returning after visiting his extended family members in Shyam Gali, Azad Market. His family members said he used to visit the Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib almost daily and was presumably going there at the time of the incident.

“When I met Sanjay in the evening, he told me he was going out. Around 11pm, we got a call from Sanjay’s friend who informed us about the incident. The police called us to the station and told Sanjay was dead,” said Jaipali Rajput, the victim’s aunt.

The identity of the second dead man could not be ascertained till Friday evening. A case of murder and firing was registered at the Bara Hindu Rao police station. Four teams have been formed to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the firing, the motive behind it and to find the attackers, said police.

Senior police officers associated with the case said preliminary investigation suggests the assailants had come to settle some scores with Peer and his nephew, identified by his first name Muneef.

“We have got certain leads and our teams are working on it. As of now, we can say that there was an altercation between the assailants and the builder before the firing. We are exploring all possibilities to ascertain the exact motive behind the attack. The CCTV cameras in the vicinity of the crime scene are being scanned for clues,” said deputy commissioner of police (north) Anto Alphonse.

Recalling Thursday night’s horror, Peer said he was standing outside a nursing home owned by him, that is currently undergoing renovation, when a man wearing a black t-shirt stopped by and asked if the nursing home was administering Covid-19 vaccines. Peer said that he asked the man to visit Bara Hindu Rao hospital or a nearby dispensary, after which he left. Peer then sat in his Swift Dzire car and left with his nephew and his office staff Prakash.

“Just a few metres ahead, the same man suddenly came in front of our car and signalled us to stop. We came out and asked him to move aside. When he refused, we pushed him aside. Suddenly, three more men joined him and got into an argument with us,” said Peer.

According to Peer, some locals came to their rescue and overpowered the unidentified men. Peer and his nephew pacified the men and asked them to leave. The assailants opened fire at the uncle-nephew duo just when they were about to leave in their car. Peer said he rushed inside a local shop to save his life and saw the assailants chasing his nephew and firing at him.

“My nephew somehow survived the attack. I heard five to six gunshots. After the firing stopped, I came out of the shop and found two men bleeding on the footpath,” said Peer.

Police, however, could not ascertain where Prakash was at the time of the firing.

Police said they received a call at 9.21pm and rushed the passersby, each of whom sustained one bullet injury, to a nearby hospital, where they were declared brought dead. Their bodies were preserved in the mortuary at the Bara Hindu Rao Hospital.

The incident sparked fears among local residents who were in a state of panic even on Friday. “We are not aware of the motive, neither the circumstances in which the firing took place. However, this is certainly a matter of concern and shows that the area is not safe,” said a worker at a local garage shop without sharing his name.

Police said they have learnt that Peer and Muneef were having a dispute over a 2,800 square yard property in Shahdara as they had allegedly sold half of it some years ago. There is a possibility that the attack on them was orchestrated by Peer’s rivals, said police.