A terrifying crime spree unfolded in northeast Delhi on Tuesday, as a pedestrian was shot and two shopkeepers were robbed at gunpoint in three back-to-back incidents that have sent shockwaves through the busy Brahmpuri Road area. Police suspect the involvement of the same gang in all the attacks, which occurred in quick succession and involved assailants brandishing pistols and assaulting their victims.
A Violent Snatching Attempt Turns into Shooting
The first incident involved a 40-year-old man named Abid, who became the target of a mobile phone snatching attempt. According to police reports, when Abid resisted the thieves, they opened fire. He sustained a bullet injury to his foot and was immediately rushed to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment. The assailants fled the scene after the shooting.
Shopkeepers Terrorized in Back-to-Back Robberies
Minutes after the shooting, what is believed to be the same group struck again, this time at the Lakshmi General Store on Brahmpuri Road in New Usmanpur. The robbers threatened an elderly woman, Sunita, who was sitting at the counter, with a gun. "They kept demanding money. When I said I didn't have any, one of them climbed inside the counter and started searching through the boxes," Sunita recounted. The robbers looted approximately Rs 10,000 in cash, searched her husband's pockets, and even took the shop keys before fleeing after Sunita pleaded with them.
In the third incident, the gang reportedly targeted Goswami Sweets, located next to the general store. CCTV footage from the sweet shop captured a masked man approaching the counter with a firearm, threatening the shopkeeper and attempting to grab cash from the drawer. When the shopkeeper, Om Prakash Puri, resisted, the attacker struck him on the head with the butt of the gun before fleeing the scene.
Panic and Police Response
The brazen attacks have left local traders and residents in a state of fear. "He brandished the pistol and demanded money. When I refused, he attacked me. There were others with him. How are we supposed to run our shops like this?" said a shaken Om Prakash Puri. Senior police officers, along with forensic experts and crime teams, have inspected all three crime scenes. Multiple police teams have been formed and are scanning CCTV footage from the area to identify and arrest the accused involved in this alarming series of crimes.
