Police gun down main accused in Ghaziabad teen’s murder
Asad, the main accused, had allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old in Khoda, Ghaziabad, on Bakrid. On May 31, he allegedly fired at police, and was shot dead in retaliatory fire.
People protest against the murder of a minor boy in the Khorda region demanding strict action against the perpetrators, in Ghaziabad on Saturday. (Photo: ANI Video Grab) The main accused in the Ghaziabad teen murder case has been killed in an encounter on Sunday morning, police said on Sunday (May 31).
The suspect, Asad, had fired at the police team with the intention of killing them, and had been shot after police retaliated in self-defence, police said.
The main accused in the alleged stabbing of a 17-year-old boy in Khoda, Ghaziabad, on Thursday (May 28) had been absconding, and a reward of Rs 50,000 had been announced for his capture.
The 17-year-old, whom the accused had allegedly stabbed following an altercation around noon on Bakrid, had succumbed to his injuries the day after, police had said earlier.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Trans-Hindon and City Dhawal Jaiswal said that on Sunday, police received information that Asad was expected to enter the Khoda area to meet some associates and collect money before fleeing elsewhere.
“Based on this intelligence, police launched an intensive combing operation and set up checkpoints across the area. During the operation, Asad was spotted in the Vasundhara area riding a motorcycle with an accomplice. When police attempted to stop him and issued warnings, Asad allegedly opened fire on the police team. Police retaliated, and during the exchange of fire, Asad was struck by a bullet,” he said.
Jaiswal said Asad was taken to hospital, where he died during treatment.
According to police, a police constable from the Khoda police station was injured in the alleged exchange of fire. The accomplice who was accompanying Asad managed to escape, police said.
Jaiswal said police had acted on the complaint filed by the victim’s family, and registered a case that named five accused persons. “Three of them were arrested immediately, while Asad, the main accused, remained absconding,” the officer said.
The victim and the accused knew each other, police had earlier said, and had filed an FIR based on the teen’s brother’s complaint under sections relating to attempt to murder and intentional insults leading to provoke someone into breaking the public peace.
After the teen died, the FIR was amended and Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 (BNS), which relates to the punishment for murder, was added.
Police have recovered the motorcycle used by Asad as well as a country-made pistol from his possession.
Saroj Devi (40), the mother of the teen who was allegedly stabbed by Asad on May 28, had earlier said that her son was the only earning member of the family who worked in a cloth manufacturing unit in Noida.
According to Saroj, her son had told her that morning that he was going to search for work. “He had recently cleared his Class 10 exam, and told me that he will work for two months before school resumes. My husband passed away two years ago due to illness, and my elder son (23) is not mentally stable,” she had said.
“He (the deceased) would have celebrated his 17th birthday on September 30, but now he has gone. When I spoke with him at noon, he said he could not find work as everything was shut due to Eid. Suddenly I heard shouting on the phone, but he assured me everything was fine,” she said.
The family originally belongs to Etah in Uttar Pradesh, and had moved to Ghaziabad around 17 years ago. “I brought him in my arms when he was just three months old, and now from that same lane, he has gone,” she had said.
On Saturday, there was heavy police deployment in the area, and the mouth of the lane was barricaded. Most shops had been shut in the area since Thursday.
Mayawati, national president of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on her social media handle X described the incident as extremely tragic and alarming.
“There is a need for the government and administration to take appropriate steps to prevent such incidents that are happening daily. At the same time, the criminals involved in this incident should be identified and definitely given legal punishment,” she wrote, adding as the time of elections draws nearer, such incidents will have widespread adverse consequences. “Therefore, the government must remain fully alert.”
The 17-year-old’s sister, Vishakha Solanki (21) said that her brother was not someone who would get into fights with people. “He was well-mannered and decent and knew how to conduct himself,” she had said.
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