Three men were arrested on Thursday, four days after they allegedly murdered a 34-year-old man in Taimoor Nagar, the police said.
The accused killed Rupesh for opposing sale of drugs on Sunday.
The arrested men — Akash, Suraj and Ajay — went on a firing spree, and committed a murder, four armed robberies and two vehicle thefts in last four days, the police said.
On Sunday, after stealing a vehicle, the accused went to buy drugs from a woman in Taimoor Nagar. They got into a brawl with the seller, following which they tried to flee the spot when Rupesh stopped them, the police said. Fearing arrest, Akash shot at Rupesh and fled the spot.
On Monday, the accused discovered via news reports that Rupesh was dead. They decided to commit more crimes and flee to Kerala, the police said.
The same night, they robbed a meat shop owner of ₹50,000 in south-west Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, said DCP (South) Vijay Kumar.
The owner, identified as Mohd Ahsad from Ghitorni, said he was shutting his shop and counting money when a masked man with a gun entered his shop.
He allegedly threatened to shoot Ahsad unless he parted with the money, the police said.
When Ahsad resisted, Akash shot at the owner’s cousin, Mohd Faiyaz, who was hit in the abdomen. Akash fled the spot with the cash. Faiyaz has been discharged from the hospital after treatment, the police said.
The complainant told the police that before entering the shop with a pistol, Akash had come to take a look at the shop a few minutes ago without a mask. On Tuesday, they robbed a man of his bike, mobile and gold chain at gunpoint in Mehrauli. A case was registered and probe started.
Teams conducted simultaneous raids in south Delhi. The accused were identified with help of CCTV footage and Mehrauli police’s criminal intelligence.
Items recovered
“Akash and Suraj were arrested during one of the raids. Two countrymade firearms, the robbed bike and gold chain were recovered,” said M. Kumar. On sustained interrogation, the duo confessed to their involvement in the Taimoor Nagar murder case. Akash lives in Sangam Vihar and Suraj in Kishangarh, the police added.
“They disclosed the name of their accomplice Ajay, who lives in Rajoura Khurd,” Mr. Kumar added. During interrogation, Akash and Ajay confessed their involvement in a car theft in Jangpura’s Bhogal.
“We are now verifying their confession in the Taimoor Nagar murder through CCTV footage and other evidence in coordination with South-East district police,” Mr. Kumar added.