Robbery bid turns fatal: Man defending friend from snatchers stabbed to death in Shahdara’s Deer Park

Police said they found that the accused had come from a locality in northeast Delhi. Based on technical surveillance, two minors were apprehended.

A 23-year-old man was stabbed to death inside the Deer park in Shahdara by four people in an attempt to stop them from snatching his friend’s belongings, said the police on Thursday.

The accused fled with Bhavna’s bag, which contained ₹10,000 in cash and mobile phones. (Representational/HT Photo)

The victim, Viresh Rathore, worked as a salesman at a CCTV showroom in Sahibabad. He had gone to the park with his friend and colleague, Bhavna, after work. The two arrived at the park around 6:30 pm.

According to police, around 7:15 pm, four men armed with sharp weapons approached the pair and tried to snatch Bhavna’s bag. When Rathore attempted to intervene, he was attacked.

“They resisted and Rathore tried to push them away. During the scuffle, the attackers pulled out a sharp object and stabbed him three to four times in the chest and abdomen. They also slit his throat,” said a senior police officer.

Police said Bhavna panicked and ran outside. She called their common friend who came to the park and rushed Rathore to the GTB Hospital.

There was a guard present at the park but he did not intervene during the fight, said the police.

DCP (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said they received a call from the hospital around 8 pm. “The victim, a resident of Dilshad Garden, was with a female friend when he sustained multiple stab wounds. A case was registered, but he died during treatment. The friend alleged that a group of young men attacked them during a robbery attempt,” he said.

The accused fled with Bhavna’s bag, which contained ₹10,000 in cash and mobile phones.

Several raids were conducted in the area and CCTVs outside the park were scanned. Police said they found that the accused had come from a locality in northeast Delhi. Based on technical surveillance, raids were conducted and two minors were apprehended.

Two minors were apprehended, along with two other accused, identified as Vishal Singh and Subash, both aged around 20.

DCP said all four are in police custody and Bhavna’s bag has been recovered. The phone is yet to be recovered.

Rathore’s family at Dilshad Garden said they were informed about the incident around 8.30 pm.

His mother, Munni Devi, said, “We were in Bareilly for an event. His father received a call about the stabbing. By the time we reached, he was critical. He died around 9-10 pm. We couldn’t even see or talk to him. He was my youngest son. Why didn’t anybody come and help him?”

Rathore’s father, Radhey Shyam Rathore, also works at a DDA park as a security guard. “He would often go there after work. The park is very close to our house. When I went there, I saw a pool of blood. He was stabbed brutally for defending his friend. What was his fault?” he said.

One of Rathore’s friends, who came to help him, said, “Bhavna was scared because there were four men. They took a big knife and slit his throat. He was severely injured but they still stabbed him in the chest and abdomen repeatedly.”