Stray bullet fired during robbery attempt kills ragpicker in south-east Delhi

A ragpicker was allegedly shot dead on Monday in south-east Delhi’s Pul Prahladpur after he was struck bullet fired by two unknown men who were trying to rob a man on a scooter, the police said on Monday.

An officer said a PCR call was received at around 11.15 a.m. about a person being shot in Rampyari camp in the area. “On reaching the spot, a ragpicker was found dead near a public toilet, with a bullet injury on the right side of his chest,” the officer said.

About half an hour later, a man approached the police and told them that while he was on his way to a bank to deposit some money, two men waylaid him near Rampyari camp and tried to rob him.

The man, a milk supplier, saw that one of them had a gun and immediately drove away, but the accused fired a shot in his direction, which hit the ragpicker. After he managed to reach the bank, the milk supplier returned to the spot and narrated the sequence of events to the police.

The deceased has been identified as Julia Daphadar, 42, a resident of Tughlakabad’s Bengali Colony, the officer said, adding that an empty cartridge has been recovered from the spot.

A case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 398, 302 and 34, as well as Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act has been registered and investigation is under way to find the accused.