Two brothers behind attack on Ghaziabad YouTuber; one dies following encounter, another absconding
The accused, identified as Zeeshan, was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, police said.
A Ghaziabad YouTuber was stabbed and his throat slit in an attack. Two days after two men on a bike allegedly stabbed 50-year-old YouTuber Saleem Wastik in the stomach and slit his throat in Ghaziabad, the police on Monday said that the attack was allegedly carried out by two brothers — Zeeshan and Gulfam. Officers said that Zeeshan — who had sustained “serious injuries” during an exchange of fire with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and the Ghaziabad police on Sunday night — died later during treatment.
Originally from Amroha’s Syed Nagli village, the accused were currently living in a rented accommodation in Ghaziabad’s Khoda, police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ghaziabad (Rural), Surendra Nath Tiwari, on Monday confirmed the involvement of the brothers in the attack. “The police also recovered a paper knife, which was used to slit Wastik’s throat, with bloodstains on it, apart from a pistol, six live cartridges and a two-wheeler from the accused,” he said.
“We learnt that the accused were entering Loni to commit another crime. We barricaded the entire area. Around 9:10 pm, we spotted two men on a motorcycle. We asked them to stop, but they opened fire at us, injuring head constables Vipin Thakur and Sachin Kumar,” the DCP said.
Tiwari added that Zeeshan sustained injuries, while the other managed to flee. “We are not sure if the pillion rider was Gulfam,” the DCP said, adding: “Zeeshan later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.”
Zeeshan’s father, Buniyad Ali, who was waiting for his body outside a post-mortem house in Ghaziabad on Monday morning, said he was informed about the death around 2:30 am. “I had called Zeeshan around 7:30 pm. Someone answered, but did not speak. I yelled… and the phone was disconnected and then switched off,” said the 54-year-old father, breaking into tears.
“Later, officers arrived at my house in Amroha and said that my son had sustained injuries and was admitted to some hospital in Ghaziabad. Around 2:30 am, I was informed that he had died,” Buniyad said.
He said Zeeshan had been staying in Ghaziabad for the last two-and-a-half years and was working as a carpenter. “He was the youngest among seven siblings. I did not know he was up to all these…,” the father said, adding that he has not heard from Gulfam as well. “His phone is switched off too.”
Wastik’s son, Usman, told The Indian Express: “My father is very critical. We have shifted him to another hospital, owing to security reasons. We are scared and not in a position to talk.”
“My family is grieving. Police are doing their job. We want all the attackers to be arrested,” Usman added.
An officer had said that the accused were allegedly upset with Wastik over his views on Islam. “Wastik had renounced Islam and had begun speaking publicly against Islam,” another had said.
Wastik’s friend Ehsan on Monday said that there was only a slight improvement in Wastik’s health. “On Friday morning, I got a call from the neighbours. They said Wastik was attacked,” Ehsan said.
“We identified the brothers with the help of electronic surveillance, CCTV footage and intelligence inputs. They had rented an accommodation in Ghaziabad’s Khoda. A bounty of Rs 1 lakh was also declared,” an officer said.
“We will trace the other accused soon,” said DCP Tiwari.
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