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Five held for Mori Gate violence, main suspect on the run
New Delhi: A day after more than a dozen masked men opened fire, vandalised vehicles and homes and assaulted women and children at Kucha Mohtar Khan in north Delhi’s Mori Gate, five persons have been arrested in connection with the violence.
The alleged prime suspect Lalit aka Pongi, a habitual criminal from Model Town, is still untraceable, officials said.
Deputy commissioner of police (north) Monika Bhardwaj said the arrested persons were identified by their first names -- Jatin, Vikas, Ritwik, Gaurav and Chetan.
All of them are residents of north Delhi’s Gur Mandi and Rajpura villages. While four of them were caught on Monday night following raids at their possible hideouts, Chetan was arrested on Tuesday.
During interrogation, the five men admitted to their involvement in the violence, police said. They told the police that they were called by Lalit and his brother-in-law, Luv, for settling a score with some residents of Kucha Mohtar Khan with whom the two had an altercation late Sunday night.
Lalit was allegedly assaulted by five-six locals over some issue that is yet to be known.
To take revenge, Lalit and his brother-in-law called their associates, who reached there in 15 minutes and allegedly went on the rampage in the neighbourhood for nearly 30 minutes -- firing in the air, vandalising vehicles and homes and assaulting women and children, a police officer associated with the probe said, requesting anonymity.
DCP Bhardwaj said multiple teams have been conducting raids in north Delhi, Nangloi and Uttar Pradesh to nab Lalit, Luv and at least five more men involved in the rioting. At least four persons, including a woman and a girl, were injured and over two dozen vehicles were damaged.
“The arrest of Lalit and Luv is important as only their interrogation would help us find the exact cause behind the fight. We spoke to the locals who said Lalit fought with them because they had stopped him from harassing some residents. We need to verify their version and for that, Lalit will have to be questioned,” said an investigator, who did not want to be named.
The officer said Lalit was previously involved in seven-eight crimes, including a murder. “We have learnt that it was Lalit who had opened fire in the area,” he added.