A 26-year-old gym trainer was shot in the head in Northwest Delhi’s Model Town late on Saturday night, 30 October, allegedly by the trainer's wife's brother who had objected to his sister marrying the man, reported The Indian Express. The victim, Deva Chand, is currently in a critical condition and undergoing treatment.
According to the police, Shahnawaz was upset with his sister marrying Chand as the two belonged to different faiths.
The police apprehended Shahnawaz (21) and his friend Hrithik (20), who were trying to flee Delhi and said they were caught within six hours of the crime. A First Information Report (FIR) has also been registered against them.
Deva had married Shahnawaz's sister, who is 25, in July this year against the wishes of their parents. The two had known each other since they were teenagers and were in the same school.
The police said that while Deva's family had accepted the union, the girl's family had cut off ties with her. The incident took place when the couple had gone to meet the accused in Model Town on Saturday night.
“We received information around midnight that Deva was on a bike with two men. The pillion riders fired at him and fled. We identified the accused and sent our teams to catch them. They have been apprehended and are being questioned," DCP (Northwest) Usha Rangnani told The Indian Express.
The police claimed that Shahnawaz had confessed to the crime and told them that he was “upset and angry” over his sister’s marriage.
A senior police offer, who did not wish to be named, told Hindustan Times, “Prime facie, it appears that Shahnawaz planned the killing and involved his friend Harshit in it. The exact sequence of events leading to the attempted killing and other people’s roles are being ascertained.”
The victim's wife said the two had got married earlier this year at a temple. She said they had gone to meet Shahnawaz on Saturday night after he had called Deva. She said she had not met her brother for three months.
"However, they dropped me off at Model Town and went on their bike. I returned home, and received a call later that night about the firing. I want Shahnawaz to be punished. They (my family) have been against my marriage and they even stopped talking to me. I didn’t know that he would do this to his brother-in-law. I know he was upset, but I never expected this would happen. I want my husband to be alright…” she told The Indian Express.
(With inputs from The Indian Express and Hindustan Times.)
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