Delhi: 25-year-old murder accused held after absconding for 5 months

The Delhi Police has arrested a 25-year-old man accused in a murder in north Delhi’s Shastri Nagar area earlier this year, after absconding for nearly five months, an official said on Friday.

The accused, Rizwan, had been frequently changing his location and identity while moving across Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and parts of Delhi, he added.

Rizwan, who has been previously involved in three cases, including attempt to murder, abduction and causing hurt, was apprehended from Burari on November 21.

“The incident dates back to July 4 when a PCR call was received at Sarai Rohilla police station about a stabbing in Shastri Nagar. The victim, Amit Kumar, a resident of Basai Darapur, was taken to Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” the officer said, adding that an FIR was registered in the matter.

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The officer said, two of the accused — Abhay Gupta (21) and Yash Kumar (22) — were arrested a day after the incident.

The duo revealed during interrogation that the murder stemmed from a quarrel between two local groups. Amit, who tried to intervene, was fatally stabbed in the abdomen by Abhay during the confrontation. Two others — Rizwan and Rohan — had fled, the officer added.

To track down the remaining suspects, a team was formed, which analysed call detail records of the absconding accused, monitored digital footprints and activated local informers.

Police said Rizwan kept shifting locations to evade arrest before settling temporarily in a rented accommodation in Burari, from where he was arrested.

During interrogation, Rizwan said the dispute had begun on July 2 when he and his friends had slapped a local boy, Harsh, over a minor issue. On July 4, Harsh’s father, Ajay, confronted them near a park, leading to a heated argument.

“Amit intervened in the scuffle and the accused group wrongly assumed that Ajay and others had gathered to take revenge. Rohan allegedly handed a knife to Abhay, who stabbed Amit before all four fled the spot,” the officer said, adding that efforts are on to arrest the remaining accused.