Cabbie murder suspect held after gunfight near Red Fort in Delhi

Firoz is the fourth suspect arrested in the case. Three of his associates were arrested on Wednesday

The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested the man who shot dead a 36-year-old cab driver after staging a road rage incident to rob him following an accident with an e-rickshaw near the Red Fort on Monday, officers aware of the matter said. The suspect, Firoz Khan,who is in his 40s, was arrested after a brief exchange of fire with a police team in Kotwali, north Delhi.

Mohammed Saquib Khan, 36, was a taxi driver who drove a Maruti WagonR car. (HT Photo)

Firoz is the fourth suspect arrested in the case. Three of his associates — two who allegedly helped him in the crime and his wife who harboured the suspects — were arrested on Wednesday.

The cab driver, Mohammed Saquib Khan, was killed shortly after midnight on Monday. Saquib was driving his Maruti WagonR car towards Kashmere Gate when he rammed an e-rickshaw at an intersection near Angoori Bagh near the Red Fort. The e-rickshaw overturned and its driver was injured. According to police, Firoz and his two associates, who were passing through the area, saw the accident and saw it as an opportunity to rob the drivers of both vehicles, said investigators.

On the pretext of helping the e-rickshaw driver to his feet, Firoz and his two associates stole cash from the driver’s pocket, said investigators. Next, they started a fight with Saquib, intending to rob him before a crowd of onlookers by staging a road rage incident, said investigators. They assaulted Saquib and snatched his mobile phone and wallet from his pockets during the scuffle, said officers. When Saquib raised the alarm, Firoz shot him dead, and the three suspects fled the scene, said investigators. A 15-year-old boy who was at the scene was also shot and injured. The e-rickshaw driver was not involved in the assault on Saquib.

Firoz’s two associates, Sajid Khan, 19, and Salman Khan, 24, were arrested on Wednesday. Firoz’s wife Anita alias Rukhsar (one name), 28, was also arrested on Wednesday for harbouring the suspects, said officers.

Deputy commissioner of police (north) Manoj Kumar Meena said that they received a tip from their informers on Sunday about Firoz’s whereabouts. “We learned that he was in Kotwali and a team was sent there. When Firoz was asked to surrender, he fired at the police team. The team fired back and shot Firoz in his left leg. He was overpowered and rushed to Aruna Asif Ali Hospital for treatment,” said the DCP.

According to police, Firoz has multiple cases of robbery, murder, and attempt to murder registered against him. Police said he had previously fired at a police officer in Sonia Vihar.

DCP Meena said that in 2014, Firoz robbed and killed a police constable, Shivraj Tomar, in Jafrabad. He also killed a woman who resisted a snatching bid in Vivek Vihar. Police said he dragged the woman from a moving rickshaw while snatching her purse. The woman fell off the vehicle and succumbed to her injuries, said officers.