N-E Delhi riots: Key accused in head constable’s murder held

Mohammad Ayaz was caught on June 17 in a village in Chikkaballapur district near Bengaluru in Karnataka, where he was looking for a hideout, officers said.

A 53-year-old man wanted for allegedly killing head constable Ratan Lal during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots and carrying a reward of ₹1 lakh, was arrested by the special cell of Delhi Police, senior police officers aware of the development said on Wednesday.

The suspect, identified as Mohammad Ayaz, was at large for more than three years. (HT Photo)

The suspect, identified as Mohammad Ayaz, was at large for more than three years. He was also declared a proclaimed offender (PO) by a Delhi court in the case. Meanwhile, his brother Mohammad Khalid is still absconding, police said.

Ayaz was caught on June 17 in a village in Chikkaballapur district near Bengaluru in Karnataka, where he was looking for a hideout, officers said. Ayaz and Khalid actively participated in the anti-CAA/NRC sit-in protests that happened at Chand Bagh near Jafarabad in February 2020, they said, when communal violence rocked several parts of northeast Delhi and claimed 53 people, injuring nearly 500.

“Investigations revealed that the secret meeting, in which the conspiracy of the riots was planned, took place in the basement of Shazia Bakery owned by Ayaz and his family. In January 2020, Ayaz, Khalid, and others started anti-CAA/NRC protests at Chand Bagh in the line of Shaheen Bagh. They met on February 23, 2020, when it was unanimously decided to bring sticks, iron rods, and other objects to block the road given the visit of the then US president Donald Trump to gain attention,” said special commissioner of police (special cell) HGS Dhaliwal.

Police said that on February 23, the alleged rioters blocked the road leading to Jafrabad Metro station. During the riots, a huge mob allegedly gathered at the Chand Bagh protest site on the morning of February 24 and attempted to block the main Wazirabad Road. “However, when the police tried to stop them, Ayaz, Khalid, and others allegedly started pelting stones and attacked the police party, causing the death of Delhi Police head constable Ratan Lal. The then assistant commissioner of police (Gokulpuri), Anuj Kumar, and deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara), Amit Sharma, sustained grievous injuries in the attack,” said Dhaliwal.

A case was registered at the Dayalpur police station and it was probed by the crime branch. Many suspects were arrested but the two brothers were evading the law since the violence claimed the policeman’s life. The special cell team led by DCP Rajiv Ranjan Singh was also making efforts to nab the two brothers.

“The technical and manual surveillance revealed that the two were changing their hideouts frequently. It came to light that both had moved to rural areas in Manipur. Further probe revealed that Ayaz had moved to Bengaluru in the first week of June. Through technical surveillance, his location was confirmed in the area of Dhiburahalli and he was caught on June 17,” added Dhaliwal.