Delhi police arrested ‘don don’ Zikra and detained three others in stabbing of 17-year-old boy
Kunal Singh was killed at around 7.30 p.m. on Thursday, a few meters away from his house, and went out to buy milk to prepare tea for his sick father, police said. They added that he was taken to a nearby JPC hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Delhi police arrested a woman who had served as the wife of imprisoned gangster Hashim Baba and detained three other women, and the officer killed a 17-year-old boy in the Seelampur district in northeast Delhi on Friday. Kunal Singh was killed at around 7.30 p.m. on Thursday, a few meters away from his house, and went out to buy milk to prepare tea for his sick father, police said.
They added that he was taken to a nearby JPC hospital where doctors declared him dead. Tensions swept the area with news of the murder spreading, with hundreds of locals and several members of Hindu costume protesting Friday, demanding immediate arrest of the culprit suspected of killing.
A senior police officer said the family of the deceased claimed that the arrested woman Zikra was present at the crime scene when Kunal was killed.
Although Zikra has been detained, her cousins Sahil Khan and Rihan Mirza have been detained for interrogation, police sources said. Police have not shared the identity of the third detainee. Zikra was previously arrested under the Weapons Act after posting videos with the pistol on social media. After bail, she lived in a rental accommodation near Kunal’s home.
“Ten teams have been formed to solve the case, and they are looking for it from all possible angles. We have detained some people to ask. The case will be resolved soon,” Pushpendra Kumar told PTI.
Zikra was a bouncer for Zoya, the wife of the jailed gangster Hashim Baba, after being arrested by Delhi police in the drug case.
She reportedly lived with Zoya before the latter was sentenced to jail. Sources said Zikra is believed to have tried to form his own gang after Zoya’s arrest.
The family of the deceased claimed that some members of the Kunal community allegedly attacked Zikra’s brother Sahil, prompting police to register the murder.
Sources say Kunal’s murder could be an act of retaliation against the incident. According to police sources, the defendant reportedly issued a warning to Kunal on Thursday morning and then carried out the murder case at night.
“The defendant caught Kunal across from a Shiv Parvati temple in the area. Two people stabbed him, and two others watched,” a source said.
Kunal somehow managed to enter the clinic just steps from the crime scene, where doctors tried to save lives by applying cotton to the wound. “The doctor drove him to a nearby hospital in e-Rickshaw, but he died on the way,” the source added.
Kunal’s father, Rajdeep Singh, said in a speech from media people: “I have been in poor condition for the past three months and have recently undergone surgery. I only returned from the hospital yesterday and asked my son to buy milk from the market to prepare tea. But the criminal killed him in the street.”
He added: “I want to give justice to my son. The police just gave us a promise, but have done nothing so far.”
Parveen, the mother of the deceased, told reporters: “Zikra used to roam around the area with a pistol. There was an incident with her cousin Sahil, but my son was not involved. But they killed him. They brutally stabbed him several times.”
“Zikra has the ambition to build her own gang. She wants to approach Hashim Baba through Zoya and wants to be involved in her drug business. However, after Zoya’s arrest, her plan suffered a setback, who helped her purchase weapons and ammunition.”
Zikra’s social media feed is filled with videos showing her waving her gun. Sources say she has more than 15,000 followers.
She reportedly led a group of 10-12 young people, some of whom have their names now related to Kunal’s murder.
Meanwhile, security in the area has been strengthened in the area due to protests by local people and some Hindu costumes, including Viswa Hindu Diocese (VHP).
Posters with “Hindus are migrating” and “Please help, Yogisji” surfaced in the area and police later evacuated the area.
The case also sparked a war of words between the ruling BJP and the opposition AAP, both sides accusing each other of the “deterioration” of the legal and order situation in the capital.
(with PTI input)
