Teen who vandalised Amar Jawan memorial arrested from Bihar

The crime branch on Tuesday said they have arrested one of the two men who vandalised the Amar Jawan memorial during the mob violence at Azad Maidan on August 11.

The crime branch on Tuesday said they have arrested one of the two men who vandalised the Amar Jawan memorial during the mob violence at Azad Maidan on August 11.

HT Image

Police arrested Abdul Qadir Mohammed Ansari, 19, from Sitamadi in Bihar. Joint commissioner of police, crime, Himanshu Roy said Ansari was trying to escape to Nepal when he was arrested.

Police had put the two accused on top of their list of people to be arrested for the violence, which left two dead and 63 injured. A local court has remanded Ansari in police custody till September 4.

A resident of Jogeshwari (East), the 19-year-old escaped from city after newspapers carried photographs that showed him damaging the memorial. “He took the Muzafapur Express and stayed with his relatives in Bihar,” said an official from the crime branch, requesting anonymity.

Police traced his location and a crime branch team was flown to Bihar on Monday. Sources said Ansari had been alerted about the possibility of his arrest, and was about to cross into Nepal when the crime branch team arrested him and brought him back to the city.

Police sources said Ansari is unemployed and his father teaches at a madarssa in Jogeshwari. He has five brothers and two sisters. Two of his brothers are maulavis in Uttar Pradesh; one is a maulavi in the city; one works at a mobile repair shop, while the youngest one is studying in school.