Man held for murder during Bhai Dooj over business feud in E Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a 46-year-old man for a broad daylight murder of his brother-in-law in front of the complainant’s family during a Bhaiya Dooj gathering in east Delhi’s Khajuri Khas area over a business dispute.

The accused has been identified as Ali Hassan alias Ajay Verma (46) resident of Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh.

According to the police reports, the incident was reported by the victim’s wife, who stated that during the family celebration at her mother’s residence in Sonia Vihar, Hassan confronted them.

After a heated exchange, he allegedly shot Hemant multiple times before fleeing the scene. Despite her attempts to intervene, Hassan overpowered her and escaped. Hemant was rushed to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Following the report, a team from the Crime Branch, led by Inspectors Pankaj Malik and Rohit Kumar under the supervision of ACP Ramesh Chander Lamba, mobilized to locate and capture the accused.

The investigative team, which included SIs Devender Singh and Roopesh Baliyan along with HCs Gajendra Singh and Narendra Kumar, tracked Hassan’s movements across North-East Delhi.

Leveraging local intelligence and surveillance, they located Hassan near the MCD Office in Welcome, Delhi, and arrested him on Monday.

During interrogation, Hassan disclosed that he had plans to target two additional individuals, but his plot was foiled by the timely intervention of the police. A separate Arms Act case has been registered against him at the Crime Branch. The murder is attributed to a business dispute between the victim and the accused. Hassan had previously threatened Hemant and his wife over unresolved financial issues linked to their former wedding garland business, which ended in 2019. Police reported that Hassan pressured Hemant to drop a pending case, and upon his refusal, fatally shot him.