An employee of a fruit merchant was shot dead and another seriously injured by two assailants on a motorcycle in a robbery bid near Azadpur Mandi here on Saturday. The murder triggered a violent protest by fruit and vegetable merchants of the wholesale market.
According to the police, Bakr Alam (40) and Ravinder (50) had come out of the market on a scooter when they were intercepted by the robbers at a crossing around 10-30 a.m. The pillion rider tried to snatch a polythene bag from them at gun-point. As they offered resistance, one of the robbers fired half-a-dozen rounds at them. Both the victims were grievously injured. The assailants then drove away with the bag.
While Bakr Alam sustained bullet injuries in the neck and chest, Ravinder also sustained bullet wounds. They were rushed to Max Hospital in Pitampura where Bakr Alam succumbed to his injuries. Ravinder was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and the police said later in the day they were waiting to take his statement.
Enquiries by the police revealed that Bakr Alam, a resident of Ghazipur, and Ravinder, a resident of Rohini, worked with Laxmi Fruit Traders owned by Banarasi Das. The polythene bag that the robbers took away carried account books. The money, over Rs.1 lakh, that they were apparently looking for was kept in the scooter’s boot.
As news of the murder and robbery bid spread, angry traders came out on the streets shouting anti-police slogans. They accused the police of not being vigilant enough. The traders blocked traffic along the Azadpur Mandi and allegedly hurled stones, damaging a private bus. The protests went on till around 2 p.m. and it was only after senior police officers assured that the assailants would soon be arrested that the traders dispersed.
“We will see how security can be improved in the area,” said a police officer. Chamber of Azadpur Fruit and Vegetable Traders’ president Metha Ram Kriplani said: “We held an emergency meeting to decide our further course of action. The traders have decided that as a mark of protest the market will remain closed on Monday. If our demands are not fulfilled, we will intensify our agitation.” The traders have demanded increased police presence in the area. “Although a new police station, Mahendra Park, has recently been set up in the area, it lacks manpower. More cops are required for the wholesale market as huge cash transactions take place here every day.”
