NEW DELHI: In a murder that triggered protests and led to tension in the area, a 17-year-old boy, Kunal, was stabbed to death Thursday evening by two teenagers in what appears to be a “revenge killing” in northeast Delhi’s Seelampur.
Police have identified the suspects, who are on the run, and 10 teams are conducting raids to nab them. A woman named Zikra has been arrested for allegedly abetting the crime and conspiring with the killers, police said. She and the two suspected murderers are allegedly part of Shoaib-Mastan gang active in the area, sources said.
Investigations revealed that the crime was likely a fallout of a stabbing incident reported last Nov from the same area. One of the suspects, who was 17 at the time, was stabbed and injured during an altercation. The suspects believed that Kunal was behind that incident and were seeking revenge.
‘I want justice, my son didn’t deserve to die like this’
Zikra, who was earlier arrested for flaunting weapons on Instagram, allegedly instigated the accused to attack Kunal, police said. On Thursday, the boys cornered Kunal and stabbed him multiple times in a lane metres away from his home.
“The injured boy succumbed to his injuries during treatment at hospital,” a senior police officer said. A case was registered at Seelampur police station under section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. As per the police, Kunal had stepped out briefly to buy samosas and milk for his family. They had just returned from GTB Hospital, where his grandmother had been admitted for the past 10 days.
Sheesh Pal (60), who adjacent to where Kunal was stabbed, said, “I heard some boys arguing outside my door. These kinds of brawls are not unusual here. The next thing I saw was a boy soaked in blood trying to walk towards a clinic. I’ve learned not to interfere. You never know when you’ll be the one attacked.”
Despite heavy bleeding, Kunal staggered on trying to reach a doctor, said a family member.
“I was heading to offer prayers when I saw some boys running. I called out to them, but they didn’t stop. Then I saw some children, and when I asked what happened, they said, ‘Chaaku maar diya hai (There has been a stabbing).’ As I rushed ahead, I saw the boy — drenched in blood, stumbling toward the blue door of the clinic, just 10–15 steps away. Even after being stabbed, he had the courage to walk, probably hoping they wouldn’t chase him. He somehow made it to the clinic, but by the time I reached him, he had already bled to death,” said Mohsin (35), a resident.
When TOI visited the spot, blood stains were still visible, a trail stretching several meters up to the door of the nearby clinic. Locals said that the lane, usually busy during the day, becomes quiet and isolated in the evening, making it easier for such incidents to go unnoticed.
“Zikra and her brothers have been threatening my family and many others in the neighbourhood for a long time,” the victim’s mother said.
“They move around in a gang, flaunt their guns, post photos with weapons on social media and instill fear in everyone. Even children are terrified of them. I know it’s them who did this to my child. I want justice. My son didn’t deserve to die like this.” Zikra previously worked as a bouncer for jailed gangster Hashim Baba’s wife, Zoya. She was arrested for flaunting weapons in her posts on Instagram, where she has 15K followers.
