4 min readNew DelhiOct 4, 2024 03:20 AM IST
First published on: Oct 3, 2024 at 09:46 AM IST
A doctor was shot dead, allegedly by two teenagers, in what appears to be a targeted attack at a small nursing home in Southeast Delhi’s Kalindi Kunj in the early hours of Thursday.
Later in the day, police said a 16-year-old was apprehended from Uttar Pradesh in the case after he allegedly put up a social media post saying he had finally committed a murder in 2024. The motive, police said, was unclear and the minor is being questioned. A search is on for his co-accused.
When the police team arrived at Nima Hospital on Thursday morning, they found Dr Javed Akhtar (55), a Unani practitioner, slumped over his desk with a gunshot wound to the left side of his head. Teams from the District Crime Unit and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Rohini, were called to the scene and collected evidence for analysis, said police.
A police officer said their preliminary investigation revealed that the two boys, aged 16-17 years old, came to the hospital around 1 am. One of the boys had an injured toe, which had been dressed the previous night at the same hospital by staff member Mohammad Kamil, the officer added.
After the dressing on Thursday, the two went to Dr Akhtar’s cabin for a prescription. Moments later, police said, nursing staff Gajala Parveen and Kamil heard a gunshot. When Parveen went to the doctor’s cabin, she found Dr Akhtar in a pool of blood. The boys were nowhere to be seen.
“The two boys also came to the hospital the previous night, got the dressing done, and left. Prima facie it is a case of targeted killing as it is unprovoked and the assailants had done a recce the previous night,” said DCP (Southeast) Rajesh Deo.
Dr Akhtar is survived by his wife, a doctor at a Noida-based private hospital, two daughters aged 9 and 11, and younger brother.
Police said he was killed around 1.30 am.
“I had talked to him at 1.10 am, I can’t believe he was shot just minutes later,” said his wife, aged 40.
She also said her husband has never had a quarrel with anyone. “I got a call from the police at 5 am. They said my husband was ‘injured’ in a scuffle and had been taken to AIIMS. Why did they not take him to a nearby hospital?” she questioned.
“Hospital staff told me it was the first time he was seeing those boys (accused). Then how can he have a rivalry?” she asked.
Dr Akhtar’s wife also claimed that the owner of the nursing home told her to come to the clinic after telling her about the incident. “He told me that my husband was shot and was taken to AIIMS. He asked me to come to the clinic and go with him to the hospital. But when I got to the hospital, he wasn’t there. I haven’t seen him since.”
The doctor’s brother said he found out at 6 am. “My sister-in-law told me about the incident. I came to AIIMS thinking my brother was injured. There, I was told he was shot in the head and died on the spot,” he said.
Hospital officials at AIIMS said the post-mortem of the body started at 1 pm on Thursday. Police, meanwhile, said they are examining CCTV cameras installed in the hospital’s reception area, dressing room, and gallery for more leads.
CCTV cameras installed in the hospital’s reception area, dressing room, and gallery are being examined to identify the assailants, said police. (ANI/ Screengrab) 
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