NEW DELHI: "People are being dragged out of vehicles and attacked", these were the last words of 22-year-old Mohammad Shahbaz to his brother on phone before he went missing on February 25.
His family now fears the worst.
"My brother Mohammad Shahbaz worked as a welder and lived with his family at Loni in Uttar Pradesh. He had gone to Guru Nanak Eye Centre in Delhi on February 25 for treatment as a spark during welding work injured his eye," Matloob said.
"I last talked to him around 2.25 pm (on February 25) when he said he was in Karawal Nagar. He was very scared and told me a mob was dragging people out of vehicles and attacking them. He said he would walk for safety," he said.
Unaware of the whereabouts of Shahbaz, Matloob says that the family has requested for a DNA test of a badly burnt body found in Karawal Nagar.
"The body is badly burnt. It was found from Karawal Nagar. I think a DNA test will make it clear if it was that of Shahbaz," said Matloob who reached the mortuary at GTB Hospital here to identify his brother.
Shabaz's friend Saqib, who was also present at the mortuary, said missing complaints were filed at Karawal Nagar police station as well as Loni in Ghaziabad.
A police officer said the process of conducting DNA test of the "charred remains" has been started.
"There is not much left of the body except a portion of the hip bone and a piece of skull. It will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for the DNA test with sample from Shahbaz's relatives," he said.
Matloob said the police have asked him to bring his parents to the hospital on Monday. The communal violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured.