Delhi: 25-year-old ‘Lady Don’ sole arrest in Seelampur case

Zikra Khan, who was born and raised in Seelampur, was arrested last month for flashing a handgun in a video posted on social media

The only arrest so far in the murder of a 17-year-old boy in Delhi’s Seelampur is a 25-year-old woman who calls herself “Lady Don” and is said to head a local gang of criminals, according to police and local residents.

Security personnel patrol the area a day after the teenager was stabbed to death in Seelampur in Delhi, on Friday. (Sanjeev Verma /HT Photo)

Zikra Khan, who was born and raised in Seelampur, was arrested last month for flashing a handgun in a video posted on social media. She lives with her maternal family and has a two-year-old daughter.

In the neighbourhood, she is infamous for walking around with a group of men to assert her authority, according to locals. Her Instagram page has over 15,000 followers, and in one recent video, she is seen waving at the camera while being escorted by police.

Two residents said she was linked to Zoya Khan, the wife of gangster Hashim Baba, who was arrested by the Delhi Police special cell in February. Police, however, have not confirmed this link.

“She walks around with her gang at 1- 2am, trying to show she’s a gangster,” said Rehaan Khan, a 48-year-old trader in Seelampur. “She wants to be feared… to be known as a criminal.”

Zikra gained notoriety a few years ago. “In northeast Delhi, there are several gangs of minors, all operating independently but aware of each other. Zikra wanted to form her own gang,” said a 58-year-old resident, who asked not to be identified.

During interrogation, Zikra confessed to being involved in the murder, police said. Additional deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Sandeep Lamba said she wanted revenge for an alleged attack on her cousin by Laala, an associate of the victim, Kunal.

A family shocked

The killing has devastated Kunal’s family. It happened so quickly, they said, that no one had time to intervene. His mother, Parveen Devi, said she now regrets ever asking him to leave school. “He was our lifeline,” she said on Friday, surrounded by neighbours and grieving relatives. “Just two days ago, he stayed overnight at the hospital with his grandmother. He was always there for us.”

Kunal, the third of Devi’s five children, had dropped out after Class 10 to help support the family. “We are eight people. My husband was the only one working. I asked Kunal to help us survive,” Devi said. “Now I regret that every moment.”

On the day he was killed, Kunal had returned home after accompanying his grandmother from the hospital. That evening, as he stepped out near his home, he was stabbed repeatedly in a narrow lane. He died at Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital in front of his parents. “He was lying there bleeding, and we were right there. But the attackers were so brutal that no one could step in,” Devi said.

For his 15-year-old sister, Kunal was her protector. “He got me everything I asked for. I always felt safe because he was around. Boys tease girls here, but not when he was with me.”

The murder has sparked unrest across Seelampur, with angry residents protesting Thursday night, Friday morning, and again in the evening. Protesters blocked the main road and demanded immediate arrests.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta condemned the killing. “The culprits will not be spared,” she said.

To prevent further unrest, Delhi Police deployed extra personnel in the area, including two companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF). “All necessary steps are being taken to maintain peace,” a senior police officer said.

But for Kunal’s family, no show of force can replace what they’ve lost. His mother stood silently near the narrow lane where her son was attacked. “He was our strength,” she said. “Now that strength is gone.”