A 25-year-old Rohingya refugee from Myanmar was allegedly shot dead at the eatery where he worked in south-west Delhi’s Uttam Nagar on Thursday morning in the presence of several persons, who were left in a state of panic and shock.
While professional rivalry with a colleague he had a falling out with is said to be the motive, the hate crime angle too was not ruled out till Thursday evening.
Morning incident
As soon as Mullaji Biryani Dhaba opened shop on Thursday morning and customers began trickling in, the accused allegedly entered the outlet with a pistol, aimed at Inayat and shot him.
Shot in the back, Inayat fell on the floor. The accused fled the spot before the shocked staff or customers could stop him.
The entire incident was captured on a CCTV camera. A case of murder has been registered at Uttam Nagar police station.
PCR call
Inayat had come to Delhi looking for a job two years ago and was a cook at the eatery.
A senior police officer said they received a call regarding firing at the Block B JJ colony in Uttam Nagar’s Hastsal.
Weapon recovered
“Spot enquiry revealed that Inayat, a cook at Mullaji Biryani Dhaba, was injured and shifted to Mata Chanan Devi Hospital. He was declared brought dead,” the officer said.
The weapon used in the murder has purportedly been recovered from the spot. “We are questioning other staff members. Investigations are on to trace the accused. He will be nabbed soon,” said the officer.
During questioning, the police came across witnesses who identified the accused as a twice-fired former worker at the eatery.
The suspect is said to have been upset and allegedly under the impression that Inayat had instigated the employer to fire him.
Mother hospitalised
The body has been sent for post-mortem and his relatives from Jammu are expected to collect the remains on Friday.
Sabber, a representative of the Rohingya community in the city and a distant relative of Inayat, said he was the eldest child and has four sisters. Inayat’s parents are based in Burma.
His mother had to be hospitalised following the news of his death.