NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has detained a woman and three of her cousins after the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old boy in north-east Delhi’s Seelampur area, an official said on Friday.
The victim, identified as Kunal, was stabbed to death on Thursday evening.
The incident led to intense protests by locals who blocked roads, causing major traffic snarls on Friday. According to Delhi Police, they received information about the stabbing around 7:38 pm on Thursday.
The victim, who was initially taken to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The victim is survived by his father, mother, three brothers and one sister.
The police have since registered a case and launched an investigation.
“10 teams have been formed to crack the case and they are looking at all possible angles. We have detained a few people for questioning. The case will be solved soon,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Eastern Range), Pushpendra Kumar.
Tensions ran high in the area, with the victim’s family and locals accusing the perpetrators of belonging to a different community.
Protests broke out, with demonstrators sitting on the road and raising slogans against the police, demanding justice. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the area with the deployment of police and Rapid Action Force (RAF), said police.
Kunal’s mother stated that her son had gone out to buy milk when the incident took place. She alleged that a woman from the locality and her associate were behind the attack.
“My son was stabbed multiple times. He tried to save himself and entered a doctor’s clinic, but they followed him and stabbed him again,” she said.
In response to the incident, CM Rekha Gupta assured that justice would be served. “I have spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner regarding this incident. The accused will be arrested soon and the family will get justice,” she said.
Leader of the opposition, Atishi, criticised the state of law and order in the city, tweeting, “The murder of a 17-year-old in Seelampur is another example of the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi. What is Delhi Police doing? What is Home Minister Amit Shah doing?”