A 45-year-old man was shot dead and an elderly man was injured when a gang of armed men opened fire while fleeing after committing a daring robbery in a crowded locality behind Zakir Husain College in New Delhi on Monday.
The robbers, who were probably five in number, were fleeing after robbing a handicrafts unit owner and his employees of a few thousand rupees in cash and three mobile phones in Basti Hazrat Khawaja Meer Dard around noon when Sultan, a local, was shot in the head when he tried to catch them.
“Sultan had left for his shop in the Jama Masjid area when he stopped at a general store near his house for a carbonated drink. While he was sipping the drink, he saw a man chasing a gang of young men and shouting for help. When the young men ran past Sultan, he tried to catch them and was shot in the head by one of the robbers. An elderly man, Nawab Ali, standing near Sultan also sustained bullet injuries in hand and leg,” said exporter Mohammad Nasim, who came rushing out of his office along with his friends on hearing the gunshots.
Mohammad Saeed, a vegetable vendor, said: “I saw three robbers fleeing. One of them wore blue jeans and they were wielding firearms. They fired a shot at the ground to scare away the local residents who tried to chase them. The robbers then escaped on foot through the narrow lanes.”
Nawab Ali (65), who was taken to JPN Hospital by his son Mohsin, was operated upon later in the day and was reported to be out of danger. “He had gone to the general store along with his grandson to buy some toffees when the incident took place. He was standing with his back towards the robbers when they opened fire and he was accidentally hit,” said one of his relatives at JPN Hospital.
The police have recovered three empty cartridges and a live cartridge from the spot. “The robbers were fleeing after robbing one Shakeel and his employees of Rs. 7,000 in cash and three mobile phones. We have definite leads and expect a breakthrough soon,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Central) Devesh Srivastva.
Sultan, who ran a toys shop, is survived by his wife and three teenaged children, including two girls. His son Salman, the youngest, is studying and working part-time at a mobile repair shop.
