Man wanted for brazen Meerut murder arrested after encounter in Delhi's Rohini

New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) A man wanted for killing his friend in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut was arrested after a brief encounter with police in north-west Delhi’s Rohini area in the wee hours of Thursday, police said.

The accused, identified as Hamza, is the main perpetrator in the murder of Adil in Meerut on October 1, 2024.

After shooting him in the head, Hamza also made a video of his accomplice shooting Adil in the chest and uploaded it on social media, police said.

Police intercepted Hamza early Thursday near a Delhi Jal Board building in Rohini. In a desperate bid to flee, the accused opened fire at the police team, who fired in retaliation.

Hamza received a gunshot injury to his leg and was subsequently arrested, police said.

"Acting on specific inputs, a police team intercepted Hamza around midnight. When asked to surrender, he opened fire and tried to flee. The police retaliated in self-defence, injuring him in the leg,” a senior officer said.

Police recovered a pistol, three live cartridges, and a Scooty that was reported stolen from Rani Bagh in Delhi, the officer said.

"Adil was allegedly abducted by his friends from his home and shot dead in a nearby jungle area. The gruesome act, which was filmed by Hamza on a mobile phone and circulated on social media, sparked widespread outrage,” he said.

According to police, Hamza and Adil loved the same woman; driven by anger and a desire for revenge, Hamza killed Adil, recorded the act, and uploaded it on social media to make an example out of it.

Hamza, the prime accused in the case, had been absconding since the incident, police said.

Uttar Pradesh Police had cornered Hamza and one of his aides on October 4, but he managed to escape after opening fire at the cops. His aide was arrested following a brief exchange of fire.

A separate case was registered against Hamza in this matter.

During interrogation, Hamza reportedly confessed to his involvement in Adil’s murder and admitted to earlier firing incidents, including one in 2024 in which a man named Wasi was injured.

Police described him as a "repeat offender" involved in multiple cases of murder and attempt to murder in Uttar Pradesh. PTI SSJ ARI