'Despite being hit by bullet, I held on to him'

Jawahar-ul Haq holds a stick as he walks. He anxiously shows his bullet injury mark on his left leg wrapped with a cotton dressing. The bullet had pierced through his thigh missing his bone by a few centimetres. Jawahar was fired upon by the fleeing burglars. However, one of the assailants was bravely caught by him.

"I was playing some games on my son's mobile when I heard screams from the second floor. They were crying out for help and I rushed out. A heavily built man in his 30s was running towards the door.

I caught hold of him," he said, also adding that he was dragged several metres away by the burglars in their bid to escape.

When the scuffle broke out, Jawahar's brother Mazhar, who also resides at the ground floor, also jumped in and caught the fleeing burglar. "He was shouting, bhai bhai and we soon realised he was calling for help from his associates who were waiting for him on a scooter. They soon came and opened fire at us. The bullet just passed my ear," said Mazhar.

As Jawahar refused to let go the assailant, his men aimed and fired at him. The bullet hit Jawahar on his thigh. Soon, Mazhar pounced on them as they sat on their scooty.

The force disbalanced the assailants and they were forced to leave their associate behind before fleeing.

"I was scared for my husband. They were firing. The bullet could have hit him anywhere. The bullet could have hit our children too," says Shahnaz begum, Jawahar's wife.

"I did not realise that I was shot until I felt something wet on my thigh. When I saw blood I knew I was hit. I am happy I didn't let him go," said Jawahar.

The two brothers caught the burglar and handed him over to the cops who arrived at the crime scene soon. Jawahar was later taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre and was discharged later. The burglar who was caught has been identified as Arif, a resident of Harsh Vihar. His interrogation revealed the other two who fled were Sanjeev and Zahid. Police have formed several teams to nab the accused.