Delhi violence: Police recover pistol of Shahrukh from his residence, say sources

Sources from the Delhi Police on Saturday informed that it has recovered the pistol of Shahrukh, the gunman in the maroon t-shirt who had opened fire and pointed the gun at cops on February 24 during violence in the capital northeast area, from his residence. The Delhi Police sources on Friday had revealed that it has also recovered the car of the accused in which he had fled from the spot.

Earlier on Wednesday, sources in Delhi Police had said investigations had revealed that Shahrukh initially kept roaming around in the national capital before slipping away to Punjab and Uttar Pradesh's Shamli from where he was arrested on Tuesday.

READ | Ram Mandir Trust To Meet Again On April 4 In Ayodhya; Idol To Be Shifted Temporarily

Series of events

According to sources, on February 24, after the incident, Shahrukh went back home and was petrified to see his photos flashing on the television screen. He then changed his clothes, drove to Hauz Khas and kept roaming around in the clubs there.

On February 25, Shahrukh kept roaming in Delhi's Connaught Place, parked his car in the parking area and slept in the vehicle itself. On February 26, he drove to Punjab's Jalandhar and called up a friend there who refused to meet him having watched him on television. Further, on February 27, 28 and 29 he remained in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli with one of his friends. Later on March 1, he left Shamli and kept wandering in buses in Punjab. 

On March 2, he returned to Shamli. On March 3, Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested Shahrukh from Shamli bus stand. He has been sent to four-day police custody. During the investigation, Shahrukh revealed that the car he used belonged to his uncle's son. He had left the car in a garage in Haryana after it broke down.

READ | 'Cascading Effect Of Yes Bank Crisis On Other Sectors Is Worrying': Vinod Kothari

'In a fit of rage'

At a press briefing regarding the arrest, Additional CP Ajit Kumar Singla said that the police were yet to recover his pistol with which he fired three shots "in a fit of rage". The police also said that the man, identified as Shahrukh, told the interrogators that he had fired shots in a fit of rage after he saw stone pelting happening in the Jaffrabad-Maujpur area of northeast Delhi, which was one of the epicenters of the three-day riots over the Citizenship Amendment Act.

"He had bought the pistol two years ago from a friend in Bihar," Singla said, adding that the police are investigating whether he has any links with any organisation and whether he had planned the firing. In a video that went viral last week, Shahrukh could be seen pointing his country-made pistol at the policeman on the Jaffrabad-Maujpur road. The incident was from 24 February when violence was at its peak in northeast Delhi.

READ | Yes Bank Crisis Live Updates: Founder Rana Kapoor Taken To ED Office For Questioning

READ | Manish Tewari Demands Urgent Meeting Of Parliamentary Panel To Discuss Yes Bank Crisis