Shahrukh Pathan, who pointed a pistol at a police official during riots in northeast Delhi’s Maujpur, has been arrested, police said on Tuesday, adding that he has no previous criminal history.
Shahrukh has been sent to four-day police custody.
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Additional DCP (Crime Branch) AK Singla said the accused, resident of Ghonda, was arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli and was brought to Delhi before he could flee further.
The police said he was fond of pistols and had bought one 7.65mm pistol and ammunition from one of his labourers two years ago. “The good quality semi-automatic pistol which he used in the northeast Delhi violence was bought from Munger in Bihar. He had fired three rounds out of five bullets he had as two of them fell. We are trying to recover the pistol,” Mr. Singla said.
Talking about the arrest, Mr. Singla claimed that they conducted extensive enquiries in many areas in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and zeroed in on the area around Shamli and Kairana. “On the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, they received information that Shahrukh would be reaching the Shamli bus stand between 10 am to 12 noon to meet someone. A trap was laid and Shahrukh was apprehended,” he said.
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During interrogation, the police said, he revealed that he opened fire in a fit of rage as stones were being pelted and that he had come alone and joined the crowd. After the incident, he roamed in Delhi but left after his video went viral and was shown on news channels. He then went to Punjab and had been hiding in Bareilly and Shamli at a friend’s place.
The police said Shahrukh is a college dropout and runs a shop selling socks in Ghonda. He is also interested in bodybuilding and modelling. He has uploaded vidoes on a video-sharing application as well. They said they are trying to ascertain whether he was associated with any gang. He is also being questioned about other participants known to him.
Shahrukh, on February 24, pointed his pistol at Head Constable Deepak Dahiya on the Jaffrabad-Maujpur road to threaten him but the cop faced him after which he fled. The video and the photo of Shahrukh were shared widely on social media.