Rohini court shootout accused has ‘Neeraj Bawana’ tattooed on his chest

Abdul Khan first met Bawana in 2014. 

A DAY after a 22-year-old man was arrested for allegedly gunning down an undertrial inside the Rohini court complex, police sources said the accused, Abdul Khan, considers Delhi-based gangster Neeraj Bawana as his “mentor” and has tattooed his name on his chest.

Hours after he was arrested from the spot of the crime, Khan reportedly told police that he killed the undertrial, Vinod alias Ballu, at the behest of an “associate” of Neeraj Bawana.

“We are yet to figure out Bawana’s role in the shootout since the person who asked Abdul to kill Vinod is absconding,” said a police officer.

“Khan claimed that he had been working for Bawana for a long time and wanted to prove that he could go to any extent to impress him. He said that he first met Bawana in 2014, when he used to come to Nangloi to campaign for his uncle Rambir Shokeen, an ex-MLA from Mundka who is presently lodged in jail,” the officer said.

The Delhi Police Special Cell had arrested Bawana in April, 2015, and his uncle was arrested after one year on the run — in November, 2016. Both were booked under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). In September 2016, Bawana was convicted of a shootout with police, and was sentenced by a city court to seven years in jail. He was also slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 for illegally possessing arms.

Khan claimed before police that he was in touch with Bawana’s associates after the gangster’s arrest, and that one of them asked him to kill Vinod. “Khan claims the associate told him that it was the perfect time to prove to Bawana that he could be a trusted confidante, and he accepted the challenge. Without asking the purpose, he agreed to gun down Vinod,” the officer said.

Khan also told police that he tattooed Bawana’s name on his chest recently. However, he did not tell his family about his association with Bawana’s gang members. Police said Khan has a wife and a one-year-old son, who live in Nangloi, police said.

Police said they have identified a man who allegedly helped him procure a weapon and get inside the court complex. “The name of the person, however, cannot be divulged since that may hamper the investigation,” the officer said.