Cluster bus driver shot dead in New Seelampur

Family members of the victim, Hakimuddin, said he was holding his five-year-old son in his arms when the shooters fired at him. They said the child gestured and told his father that some men carrying pistols had come to the house. The family said Hakimuddin’s son survived the attack and ran inside the house.

A 44-year-old cluster bus driver was shot dead in front of his family members allegedly by a group of six motorcycle-borne assailants in northeast Delhi’s New Seelampur area on Sunday night. The police suspect that the driver’s murder was the fallout of an old enmity between two families.

The police suspect that the driver’s murder was the fallout of an old enmity between two families. (HT Photo)

Family members of the victim, Hakimuddin, said he was holding his five-year-old son in his arms when the shooters fired at him. They said the child gestured and told his father that some men carrying pistols had come to the house. The family said Hakimuddin’s son survived the attack and ran inside the house. The attackers included two women and the crime took place around 200 metres away from the Usmanpur police station, family members have alleged.

Deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Atul Kumar Thakur, however, denied the family’s version of the sequence of events and said Hakimuddin was talking to someone on his cellphone and his son and other family members were a few metres away when he was attacked.

“The family members were walking back home after visiting Hakimuddin’s aunt’s home in Seelampur when the crime took place. Hakimuddin had stopped in the lane to attend the phone call. His son and other family members had walked some distance ahead when the assailants fired at him,” said Thakur, adding, “Four to five bullets were fired. Hakimuddin was hit by three bullets in his chest. He was rushed to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.”

On being asked about the family’s claims that the attackers included women, the DCP said, “We have not found any concrete evidence to confirm this. The area where the crime took place is not covered by CCTV cameras. A murder case has been registered at the Usmanpur police station, and all possible angles are being probed.”

Hakimuddin lived with his family in New Seelampur J Block. His two brothers — Naimuddin and Shehzad — are in jail on a case of murder.

According to Rehmat, Hakimuddin’s sister, some of their relatives wanted Shehzad to marry their daughter. However, Shehzad declined the proposal by saying he loved someone else, and would only marry the woman he loved. Around a year ago, Shehzad had a love marriage with his girlfriend without informing anyone in his family.

“Shehzad’s love marriage became a bone of contention between his family and relatives. Around seven months ago, a fight broke out between Naimuddin and the relatives. The argument turned into a clash when Shehzad went in to intervene. Naimuddin and Shehzad fired a few rounds. One of the bullets hit a relative, Salman. The two brothers were arrested in the case and sent to jail,” said a police officer, associated with the case, quoting the statement of Hakimuddin’s family members.

Thakur said the investigating team were also looking into the enmity angle, and two suspects were being interrogated in the case.