Passerby killed as car-borne assailants fire at constable

NEW DELHI: In a tragic incident, a passerby was shot dead by criminals who aimed at Delhi Police constable in North East Delhi's Nand Nagri but somehow missed their target killing a 50-year-old passer-by on road instead.

The assailants managed to flee from the spot taking the benefit of darkness.

"Our constable Ajay, who is posted in the Nand Nagri police station, was passing through the Tanga Stand around 11:39 pm, when he noticed some suspicious persons sitting in a Swift Dzire car," said Atul Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East). Getting suspicious about the occupants of the car the constable confronted them and asked for their identities.

Realising that the constable might prove dangerous, the car sped away, but the constable tried to chase it. A man then took out a pistol and in an attempt to shoot at the constable. He fired but missed his target. "During the chase, a man from the car opened fire at the constable, but the bullet hit a passer-by. The culprits managed to escape. The victim was immediately rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where he was declared 'brought dead' by the doctors. The deceased was later identified as Raju, a resident of Harsh Vihar in Delhi," said Thakur.

The police have registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC and teams have been formed to nab the accused.

A police team has been formed and the CCTV around the area are being scanned for clues to know the identity of the accused.

Local informants have also been pressed in to know the identity of the accused persons who now carry a murder charge on them. The body has been sent for postmortem and the family members have been informed.