Muzaffarnagar: Eyewitness in sister’s gangrape case killed

As per police, the man was shot from point blank range while he was sitting at his paan shop on Tuesday. He was hit near his ear and died on the spot, they said. Despite it being a market, nobody including the neighbouring shopkeepers, admitted to having witnessed the incident or having seen the assailants, they added.

Locals staged a protest and blocked the road demanding immediate arrest of the accused.

In a police complaint, the victim’s elder sister named six persons who include Shakeel, Wakeel, Sageer, Minto, Saista and Parveen and two others for the killing of the youth. Shakeel, Wakeel and Minto are also named accused in the gangrape case and police had also filed chargesheet against them. Other two accused named in the gangrape case are Shadab and Javed.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Crime, Rakesh Kumar Jolly said, the court had recently framed charges against the accused in the gangrape case and fixed February 23 for recording of the statement of complainant in the case. The rape victim’s elder sister was complainant in the case who also lodged the complaint in Tuesday’s murder.

The man who has been shot dead also had marital dispute with his wife and a divorce case was pending in the court, the ASP said.

The victim and the accused are neighbours and has old enmity, the ASP said. Around 20 days ago, both had clashed over some issue after which cross-FIRs were filed against them. “We are looking into all angles before reaching to any conclusion,” the ASP added.

Circle Officer, Bhopa area, Sukshma Prakash said, victim’s family have told them that they were being pressured to withdraw the gangrape case but the police had not received any written complaint in this regard.