Sharpshooters held for Shastri Park property dealer’s murder

NEW DELHI: Three sharpshooters of the Wasim Hasmat gang were arrested following a late-night shootout with police in Delhi’s Rohini, ending a manhunt for the killers of a property deal in the Shastri Park area, officials said on Wednesday.

The arrested accused have been identified as Rehman (23), Adil (23) and Md Ayan (19), all residents of Delhi. Police recovered four .32 bore semi-automatic pistols, 11 live cartridges and six empty cartridges from their possession.

The property dealer, identified as Sameer alias Kammu Pehalwan, was shot dead on the night of January 24 by four armed assailants.

The arrests were made late Tuesday night after a police team received inputs about the movement of the three wanted men in northwest Delhi. The suspects were intercepted near Ajmal Khan Park in Rohini’s Sector 28 at around 11.40 pm while riding a white scooter.

“When signalled to stop, the accused opened fire at the police team. In retaliatory firing, the accused sustained bullet injuries in their legs. Despite this, they attempted to flee but were overpowered and apprehended,” a senior police officer said. The injured accused were later taken to hospital for treatment and a fresh case was registered against them.

Investigation revealed that the scooter used by the accused was stolen and linked to an e-FIR registered at Bindapur police station in Dwarka.

“The murder of Kammu Pehalwan on the night of January 24 was a fallout of an ongoing gang rivalry in northeast Delhi. The killing is suspected to be linked to the murder of gangster Wasim Hasmat, who was stabbed to death in Shastri Park in December 2025,” the officer said.

According to the police, Sameer was believed to be associated with rival faction, Hashim Baba gang and members of Hasmat’s gang suspected him of involvement in the conspiracy to kill their leader.

One of the arrested accused, Rehman, has previous cases registered against him under the Arms Act at Welcome and Shastri Park police stations. Further investigation is underway to identify other associates involved in the conspiracy and to trace the source of the illegal weapons.