JOIN USA 25-year-old man has been arrested for killing the owner of a general store for resisting robbery in south-west Delhi’s Chhawla on Wednesday, police said.
The accused has been identified as Vikas, a resident of Khera Dabur village near Najafgarh. He was held over investigation after Palam-resident Praveen Kumar Singhal was shot at outside Aggarwal General Store in Goyla Khurd. Praveen had succumbed to his injuries at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital.
The incident had taken place when Praveen was closing the store along with his elder brother Sanjeev and employee Ganesh around 9 pm on Wednesday. “Two men wearing black clothes came to the shop and demanded cash at gunpoint. When Praveen resisted, one of the accused opened fire at him and managed to flee,” said Ravindra Yadav, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime).
Initially, a case under attempt to murder and attempt to commit robbery was registered with Chhawla police station. After Praveen’s death, section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code was added to the case.
“Our anti-robbery cell had received input that Vikas was actively indulging in robberies and he along with his accomplices committed the murder,” Yadav added. On Thursday, specific information was received that Vikas would be passing from Najafgarh to Dinpur village on a stolen motorcycle.
On the basis of the inputs, a trap was laid in Chhawla and Vikas was apprehended. On verification, the motorcycle was found stolen from south-west Delhi’s Janakpuri and a case was registered in December 2013.
During interrogation, Vikas confessed that he along with an accomplice named Lagan Sharma went to Praveen’s store for robbery on Wednesday. “Vikas had opened fire with a country-made pistol,” Yadav said.
Vikas further disclosed that the recovered motorcycle was given to him by an active auto-lifter named Sachin.