Man held for killing tailor who threw stone at his pet dog in Delhi

Two days after a 30-year-old tailor was shot dead in north east Delhi’s Welcome area after he allegedly threw a stone at a man’s pet, police have arrested the accused, Mehtab, a man with 18 criminal cases.

Atul Kumar Thakur, deputy commissioner of police (north-east), confirmed Mehtab’s arrest and said he was caught from Kashmere Gate area in the evening.

“Mehtab has confessed to the crime. He has revealed that he was drunk when he entered into an argument with the tailor, Aafaq and shot him. After the crime, Mehtab left in his car and fled to Dehradun. He later returned to Delhi. We learnt about his movements and caught him in Kashmere Gate area,” said Thakur.

Police said they are interrogating Mehtab to ascertain the exact sequence of the events that led to the fight and the murder of Aafaq. “From locals, we learnt that the argument between the two men started when Aafaq threw a stone at Mehtab’s dog and he objected to it,” said a police officer, associated with the case.

Police said Mehtab has cases such as attempt to murder, molestation, extortion and robbery against him.

On Sunday around 6 pm, Aafaq was heading to a hospital to meet his son, who had fractured a finger while lifting a cooking gas cylinder. On the way, Aafaq was walking past Mehtab’s house when the dog started barking at him.

“When the dog allegedly tried to bite Aafaq, he picked up a stone and threw it at the dog. Mehtab, who had seen Aafaq throwing the stone, brought his gun and after a brief argument, shot Aafaq,” said the officer.

First Published: Jan 09, 2019 09:40 IST