Vasant Kunj student's father cries murder

The mystery shrouding the death of Varun Malik, an engineering student, at a Vasant Kunj market on Wednesday evening has deepened, reports Ravi Bajpai.

The mystery shrouding the death of Varun Malik, an engineering student, at a Vasant Kunj market on Wednesday evening has deepened with the victim's family alleging that he was murdered and not accidentally fired at.

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The Malik family's woes continued on Thursday. On returning to their Vasant Kunj home from Varun's cremation in the afternoon, they found the body of their domestic help Chhotu hanging from a ceiling fan. A police officer said Varun's father Sulekh Malik brought Chhotu, who worked at a

dhaba

earlier, to his house five years back.

The 15-year-old treated Varun as his elder brother. Chhotu had Varun's photograph in the back pocket of his trouser, police said.

A bullet had ripped through Malik's chest on Wednesday evening. Police were interrogating his friends Sachin and Nitin, who admitted Varun to Fortis hospital, where he later died. The two said that a third friend, Moti, was showing them a weapon at the B-10 market when the accidental firing took place.

Sulekh Mallik, a builder who owns several properties in Vasant Kunj and Masoodpur, however alleged that Sachin, Nitin and Moti had conspired to kill his son.

Moti was on the run throughout Thursday, said Shalini Singh, DCP (south west). "We have registered a murder case," she said.

Varun's father alleged that his son's death was a pre-planned murder. Sachin and Nitin took Varun out for a drive. "Why would Varun go out with Sachin, who due to some personal rivalry, had hit Varun about a week back and even threatened to kill him," said Sulekh.