Police blame gang war for man’s murder in NE Delhi

DCP (Northeast) Ved Prakash Surya said, “The arrested men have been identifed as Shaukat Khan (32), and Qamar Ali (39). We found that the deceased was a sympathiser of Nasir, and the accused were unhappy with positive news coverage of Nasir. They also came to know that Haider was not saying good things about them.”

On May 29, Haider was standing outside his home when five people drove by on two-wheelers and started firing indiscriminately. He sustained over two dozen gunshot wounds and collapsed in front of his family. An FIR was registered.

Police said Nasir faces several criminal cases and was allegedly involved in a gang war with Chhenu Pehalwan (34) for supremacy over the betting business in the capital since 2010. “However, things changed when he joined MoS Ramdas Athawale’s Republican Party of India (A) as its Delhi youth president last year. Two close associates of Nasir, Hashim Baba and Rashid Cablewala, revolted and formed another gang,” said a senior police officer. Later, the party dismissed Nasir’s membership.

The gang war between Nasir and Chhenu, police said, has claimed 18 lives, including of a police constable who was shot dead at Karkardooma court in 2015. The internal gang war between Nasir and Hashim has claimed three lives, police said. “Hashim was trying to eliminate Nasir and has killed two of his associates so far,” said an officer.

During questioning, the arrested men revealed they had threatened Haider twice, asking him to stop “supporting” Nasir. “They were angry after they recently saw a picture of Haider with Nasir on social media. They then decided to eliminate him,” the officer said.

Nasir got out on parole last April and absconded after he was booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act by the special investigation unit of the crime branch for allegedly running an organised gang and extorting money by threatening people.