Man, son killed in north-east Delhi, personal enmity suspected

The father, Zulfiqar Qureshi, was shot in his head, and his son Janbaaz Qureshi was stabbed with a sharp weapon by two-three men when they were walking back home after offering namaaz at a local mosque, Ved Prakash Surya, deputy commissioner of police (north-east) said.

A 50-year-old scrap dealer who also ran an NGO, and his 22-year-old son, were murdered near their home in north-east Delhi’s Nand Nagri on Monday morning, police said.

Delhi Police personnel at work amid a large crowd of shoppers at Sadar Bazar ahead of the upcoming festivities in New Delhi. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The father, Zulfiqar Qureshi, was shot in his head, and his son Janbaaz Qureshi was stabbed with a sharp weapon by two-three men when they were walking back home after offering namaaz at a local mosque, Ved Prakash Surya, deputy commissioner of police (north-east) said.

While the police were yet to arrest the attackers, the DCP said Janbaaz was able to identify the suspects before his death. “It was a murder over personal enmity. We hope to nab the suspects soon,” the DCP said.

The DCP said Zulfiqar had multiple criminal cases against him though there were none in recent years. “His son, Janbaz, too had a few criminal cases against him and was arrested for motorcycle theft two months ago,” said the DCP. The officer, however, couldn’t immediately comment on the nature of those alleged criminal cases.

The families of the dead men said Zulfiqar was an RTI activist and an active member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“He would file RTIs against scrap dealers involved in vehicle thefts as well as those involved in illegal construction and other activities. He was an active member of the BJP and ran an NGO that worked for the environment,” said Zulfiqar’s niece, Parveen, adding FIRs against the father-son duo were bogus and motivated.

The police said they did not have any information about his RTI activism or his political affiliation.

The police as well as the victims’ relatives said he was assigned a personal security officer (PSO) by Delhi Police due to perceived threats to his life.

“There were attempts on his life in the past because of his RTI activism. So, he was given security. But the security officer’s duty was between 8am and 8pm,” said Zulfiqar’s brother, Sarfaraaz.

The double murder happened over an hour before the security officer reached and began his duty.

“Zulfiqar and his three sons had visited the mosque near our home and had just finished their namaaz around 6.45am when three men attacked the father. They shot him in his waist, chased him in the street and then threw a tyre around him before shooting him in his head,” said Parveen. The DCP, however, said Zulfiqar was shot just once -- in his head -- and he died before he could be taken to a hospital.

Zulfiqar’s eldest son, Janbaaz, who is preparing to get into a law college, tried to save him but he too was attacked. “They shot Janbaz in his waist before stabbing him. They smashed his head with pistol butt,” Parveen said.

The DCP said it could not immediately be confirmed if Janbaaz too received bullet injuries.

The suspects fled and the father-son duo was taken to a local hospital where Zulfiqar was declared brought dead. His son was referred to Safdarjung Hospital where he succumbed during treatment.

“But before he died, Janbaaz told us the names of the suspects,” the DCP said.

The victims’ relatives alleged the double murder was because of Zulfiqar’s RTI activism.

Naveen Kumar, Delhi BJP’s media head, said, “He was an active member of the BJP, but he was not an office bearer.”