4 days after attack on Ballabgarh Muslim boy, hunt on for 3 men who fled on bike

The general railway police (GRP) of Haryana, investigating the alleged killing of Junaid in a moving train en route Mathura, are still groping in the dark to get clues that will help them identify the attackers.

On Monday, four days after the incident, the police accessed CCTV footage from cameras installed across Asaoti village. The police so far has not raided the village where Junaid and his brothers were finally thrown off the train and where they suspect the accused belong.

When contacted the SP confirmed that they accessed the footage from the village and have received relevant clues. He said that they are “working” on the leads. Sources revealed that the police has received a footage from a nearby bank in the village that shows three men fleeing on a bike with one man bleeding from his forehead. Thought it is not certain if those were the men who had attacked Junaid and his brothers, the police is treating it as a crucial lead. The faces of the men are not clearly visible in the footage, sources said.

The police suspect that the men have gone into hiding. The police have now broadened their search and are conducting raids in villages across Haryana.

The police have also sought help from local intelligence and have urged the public to share with them any photo or recording of the day that will help them identify the accused. The police have also announced a reward of Rs1 lakh for any person who gives any piece of information to them and have promised to keep their identity a secret.

“We detained a few persons and called Junaid’s brothers, who were present in the train on that day, for identification. We are verifying these persons at our level as well. The hunt for them is on. We have arrested one person from whom we received clear evidence stating that he was involved in the incident. Further investigation is on,” SP GRP, Kamaldeep Goyal, said.

Meanwhile, Junaid’s family members said that Hashim, Mausin and Moin, who were on the train with Junaid are facing difficulties identifying the men, when they are taken for a test identification parade.

“The policemen catch few persons everyday and ask Hashim and Mausim to come and identify them. They ask about which clothes were the attackers wearing and about their appearance. The police does not understand that it was a crowd. How far can one remember what the men in the crowd were wearing and if they were stout or lean, fat or bald?” said Mohammad Sakir, a relative of the victims.

“At that time Junaid was being butchered. Hashim would not have noticed how his killers looked like. He can just give a patchy description, which he already has. Hashim is unable to speak now. We have asked him to rest as his wounds were aching. He is already depressed and this exercise gets him even more exhausted,” he added.