Man stabbed to death in Delhi’s Kalkaji market

A man was stabbed to death in Delhi after a fight broke out when his shoulder brushed against another person's. Four people have been arrested.

A 28-year-old man was stabbed to death after his shoulder brushed against the shoulder of another person in a congested lane, leading to a fight between two groups at the fish market in DDA Flats Kalkaji in south Delhi on Wednesday night. Four people have been arrested in this connection on Thursday, police officers aware of the incident said.

The victim has been identified as Mohammad Azad, 28. (Representational image)

The victim has been identified as Mohammad Azad, 28, while his two brothers — Mohammad Irshad, 25, and Mohammad Sadaab, 24 — were critically injured in the attack, they added.

The murder weapon, which was a butcher’s knife, was recovered from one of the arrested persons, Mohammad Junaid, 28, who runs a meat shop in the market. Junaid was the first person to be arrested from the AIIMS Trauma Centre early on Thursday morning, from where he was providing updates about the victims to the other suspects, said an investigating officer who did not want to be named.

“Junaid was not directly involved in the attack. His role was established only after we scanned the CCTV cameras and found that the three suspects had come to meet Junaid and had picked up the knife from his shop,” the investigator said, and identified the other arrested men as Shivam Kumar alias Kunal, 21, Sunny alias Lalu, 24, Saurabh Koki, 24.

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Rajesh Deo said that around 10 pm on Wednesday, the Kalkaji police station was informed about the incident.

The DCP said around 9.30 pm, a fight broke out between the three brothers and a man, who was later identified as Shivam, over brushing of shoulders. The three brothers assaulted Shivam and it infuriated him. Shivam left the place and met his two friends – Sunny and Koki – at Junaid’s meat shop. The three picked up a butcher knife from Junaid’s shop and rushed to the place where the fight took place, while Junaid followed them. They found the three brothers, assaulted them, and attacked them with the knife before fleeing the crime scene. A case of murder was registered and investigation was taken up by the anti-auto theft squad (AATS), said the DCP.

“The probe team identified the suspects and traced their locations. Junaid’s location was around the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where the victims were taken to. Inspector Rajender Singh Dagar of the AATS rushed to the hospital with his team and caught Junaid. His interrogation led to the arrest of the other three suspects,” added DCP Deo.