NEW DELHI: A 17-year-old boy, fed up with constant harassment by his landlord's sons, shot and killed both brothers in East Delhi's Rani Garden area. The first murder took place at the house, followed by the second at the younger brother’s shop.
Blood from the first killing was discovered flowing out of the house through a drain, leading to the police uncovering the second body. The accused minor was apprehended by the police.
The incident began when the younger brother's murder was first reported. Police received information on September 14 from a hospital in Geeta Colony about a man, identified as Shahid (20), who was brought dead with multiple gunshot wounds to his head. Shahid had been taken to the hospital by his elder sister.
The sister informed police that some children had found her brother lying in the street, bleeding profusely. She rushed him to LNJP Hospital, where he was declared dead. Upon investigation, police discovered two empty bullet casings at the scene.
As the investigation progressed, police found that Shahid’s elder brother, Irshad alias Boby (30), was missing, and their house, located just 30-40 meters from the crime scene, was locked from the outside. Locals soon spotted fresh blood flowing from a drain near the house, prompting the police to break the lock and enter. Inside, they found Irshad's body with a gunshot wound to his head. Blood had pooled and was flowing out through the drain.
Both Irshad and Shahid were residents of Rani Garden. Their mother had passed away, and their father lived separately with his second wife.
Given the gravity of the case, a specialised team was formed to investigate. They began by scanning CCTV footage from the area and gathering local intelligence.
“Through CCTV footage, we identified the shooter, a 17-year-old boy. He was apprehended in Nizamuddin Basti and, after extensive questioning, confessed to the double murder," said DCP (Crime) Rakesh Paweriya.
The accused revealed that his family had rented the ground and first floors of the Rani Garden house from the brothers' father, Asfak, about 4-5 years ago. At that time, they had paid Rs 4 lakh as security, with a written agreement that the family could stay rent-free until the amount was repaid.
However, after Asfak remarried and moved to an unknown location, his sons Irshad and Shahid began pressuring the juvenile's family to vacate the house. According to the accused, both brothers were aggressive and frequently harassed him and his family.
On the day of the murders, a heated argument between the accused and Irshad escalated into violence, during which the juvenile shot Irshad dead and locked the house from the outside. Shortly afterward, he encountered Shahid at his shop and shot him at point-blank range.