30yrold killed in Seelampur, locals pelt stones at cops

PROBE LAUNCHED Police said they are awaiting an autopsy report to determine if he was also shot, as some locals claimed

NEWDELHI: A 30-year-old man was allegedly killed by his neighbour in north-east Delhi’s New Seelampur area late on Thursday night, the police said.

Following reports of the alleged murder, police officials said agitated l ocals pelted stones at a police team, leaving an assistant sub-inspector injured.

Though prima facie the man appeared to be beaten to death with an iron rod, the police said they are awaiting an autopsy report to determine if he was also shot, as some locals had claimed.

The police identified the dead man as Waqar and the suspect as Akash Mahaveer.

Following the incident of stone-pelting on Thursday night, police officials said they had to hold flag march in J-block of New Seelampur and deployed a large number of policemen in the neighbourhood through Friday.

Atul Kumar Thakur, deputy commissioner of police (northeast), said the situation remained peaceful through the day.

The DCP said Mahaveer continued to remain on the run as of late Friday night, so the exact trigger behind the alleged murder remained unknown.

“We have detained the suspect’s father and brother for questioning, but they have not been divulging details,” said the DCP.

Waqar’s sister had alleged that her brother was killed because their mother had said she would appear as a witness in a month-old murder case in the neighbourhood.

The DCP, on the other hand, denied that Thursday’s murder had anything to do with the previous killing.

Waqar, who had a business of handicrafts, had a case of robbery and another of attempt to commit culpable homicide registered against him in the past.

We have detained the suspect’s father and brother for questioning, but they have not been divulging details so far.

ATUL KUMAR THAKUR, deputy commissioner of police (north-east)

The accused Akash Mahaveer ran a business of plastic products.

Waqar’s brother Ibrar said that around 11.30 pm on Thursday the victim was walking along the lane where Akash lives.

“Suddenly we heard Waqar’s cries and rushed to his help. The killers had escaped by then, leaving my brother badly injured,” Ibrar told a news channel.

Though the DCP said that only Akash seemed to be involved in the murder, Ibrar alleged that there were around a dozen other men that included Akash’s family and neighbours.

Police officials said that when the police team reached the spot on Thursday night, they saw a group of agitated l ocals, some of whom pelted stones at the police team.