New Delhi: A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a murder in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar in a shoot-out in November which later emerged to be the fallout of a long-standing feud between two gangs based in Sangam Vihar here, police said today.
The accused, Swami G Amit, alias Appa Swami, along with his associates Neeraj and Prahlad, had allegedly shot dead one Iqbal Bhalla and injured his associate Riyazuddin Raja on November 1, while their other targets – Imran and Vishwanath Pratap Singh – managed to escape.
With further investigation, it emerged that the incident was a fallout of a long-standing rivalry between two Sangam Vihar gangs – one led by Raju Ramakant Rao alias Raju Baba, who was murdered at south Delhi’s BRT corridor in August, following which five persons, including Raju Baba’s main rival Deepak Pandit, were arrested, police said.
It was the Special Task Force of Delhi Police’s South District which took up the investigation after the Malviya Nagar shootout and tracked Swami at Manali in Himachal Pradesh, where he had fled after the incident.
Imran and Singh had earlier alleged that the attack was carried out by Babli, leader of their rival gang, and his associate Golu. But analysis of multiple CCTV footage obtained from near the crime scene helped police identify the actual suspects, said police.
But by the time the police team could reach there, Swami had shifted to Manikaran in Parvati Valley, and later to Delhi. The police team kept following Swami and his associates through Vasant Kunj, Neb Sarai, Jama Masjid, Uttam Nagar, NOIDA and Indira Puram, said police.
“Yesterday, the STF got a tip-off that Swami would come to south Delhi’s Neb Sarai to strike at a target, following which a trap was laid and he was overpowered by a police team,” said DCP (South) Prem Nath.
During interrogation, Swami claimed that he was close to Raju Baba and on November 1, he along with Raju’s brother Neeraj and his prima aide Prahlad, allegedly shot at Bhalla and his associates.
Raju Baba was believed to be the man heading the gang of Ravi Gangwal after he was sent to jail, police said.
Swami also told the police that after Raju Baba’s murder, Bhalla – who was a history sheeter himself and a close associate of Deepak Pandit – had allegedly threated him over Facebook, following which he rented a room at Neb Sarai area and plotted his murder, police added.