Man walks into GTB hospital in Delhi, shoots 32-yr-old patient and flees
The deceased, who was identified as Md Riyazuddun and a resident of the Khajuri Khas area, was shot dead in front of his sister
Investigators said that the accused is yet to be identified, adding that they suspect the murder to be a case of mistaken identity.
Police identified the deceased as Md Riyazuddun, a resident of Khajuri Khas who operated a dental clinic. He was admitted to ward number 24 of the hospital, and was with his sister and a medical attendant when he was shot dead, officers said.
The assailant fired multiple shots at the victim before fleeing the scene with two accomplices, officers said.
“We checked the records of the victim and found that he has no previous criminal involvements. The motive behind the firing is not clear yet,” a senior officer said, requesting anonymity.
A murder case was registered at the GTB Enclave police station in connection with the case.
“The police control room received a call regarding the incident. A police team rushed to the spot and found that a patient, who was admitted to the hospital on June 23 for abdominal infection, was shot dead. The suspect, aged around 18, came inside the ward and opened fire on him,” deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Surendra Chaudhary said, adding that five bullet shells were found on the spot.
Riyazuddun’s brother Faheem Khan, 28, said the family does not know the attacker or why he shot his brother.
“We found that there was another patient with a criminal history who was admitted to the ward for a month but was shifted to a private room yesterday. We think the accused came to kill him,” he added.
Police said that they are verifying the allegations made by the family and checking records of the other patient, who was shot four times in the Welcome area last month and is currently recuperating in the hospital. DCP (northeast) Joy N Tirkey said that in that case, three of the four assailants have been arrested, while the fourth is on the run.
A hospital staffer, who was inside the ward at the time of the incident, said the assailant entered the ward and told the attendants and relatives to step aside. “They fired at Riyazuddin and everyone either started running outside or hid in corners of the room,” the staffer said, on condition of anonymity.
Additional DCP Vishnu Sharma said that they have checked CCTV footage from the hospital and the surrounding areas and have identified a few possible suspects. However, he added, multiple people visit the hospital every day, making it tough to zero in on the killer.
Hours after the shooting, Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the law-and-order situation in Delhi has deteriorated.
“LG sir, in the last two years since you came to power, the law-and-order situation in Delhi is going from bad to worse. Criminals have lost all fear of the law. People barge into hospitals in broad daylight and shoot people,” he posted on X.
LG office did not respond to HT’s request for comment.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Dr Anil Gupta said, “Today’s killing is another example of the non-existence of security at Delhi government hospitals.”
Meanwhile, GTB hospital’s Resident Doctors’ Association said they will be on an indefinite strike from Monday over “security concerns”. The Federation of Resident Doctors Association also demanded stricter security measures at hospitals.