Loni triple murder cracked, nephew of cloth trader arrested

GHAZIABAD: A nephew of a 72-year-old cloth trader, who was killed along with his two sons at their two-storey house in Loni early Monday morning, was arrested on Tuesday for the triple murder. He has been booked and sent to judicial custody.

Police said Ayyub, the accused, wanted to start a new business and had sought Rs 10 lakh from his uncle, Riyaz, who had declined repeatedly. On Sunday evening, Ayyub visited Riyaz and asked for the money. A heated argument followed as Riyaz refused again. Ayyub then had dinner with the family but dropped the subject as he had come prepared with a gun, police said.
“After dinner, Ayyub retired to a room. Around 2.50am on Monday, after everyone in the house had gone to sleep, Riyaz went to the washroom. Ayyub waited outside and when Riyaz came out, he again tried to convince his uncle to help him. When Riyaz said no, Ayyub shot him,” Ghaziabad DIG and SSP Amit Pathak said.
On hearing the gunshots, others in the family – Riyaz’s wife Fatima, their sons Azharuddin and Imraan and Azharuddin’s wife Afsana, who is four months pregnant – rushed to the scene. Ayyub shot Azharuddin and Imraan, who died on the spot, as well as Fatima, whose condition continues to be critical.
Afsana, who witnessed the crime from the first floor, told police she ran towards her husband after he was shot. “When he tried to shoot Afsana, the pistol got stuck. As he tried to fix it, Riyaz’s other sons who live nearby and the neighbours rushed to the house. Ayyub went to the terrace, jumped to the adjacent house and then came down to the road at the back,” Pathak said.
Dr Iraz Raja, SP (rural), said Ayyub threw his gun and his blood-stained shirt in a drain near the victims’ house after the crime. He then went to his own house, put on a T-shirt and merged with the crowd. To avoid suspicion, he helped take Fatima to the hospital.
Dr Raja said the pistol used by Ayyub had been bought by his father in 2020 for safety. “Ayyub tried to put a silencer on the pistol and even saw a video on YouTube over 10 times for it, but failed to fix it,” he added.
While an FIR had been lodged at Loni police station under IPC sections 396 (dacoity with murder) and 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) against five-six unknown persons on Monday, police will now convert it into Section 302 (punishment for murder).