NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Friday apprehended the second suspect allegedly involved in the murder of unani doctor Javed Akhtar at a nursing home in southeast Delhi’s Jaitpur.
The accused, a friend of the main shooter who was caught earlier, was detained from Noida. Police have also detained another suspect, who allegedly got the pistol. All three are minors, aged between 16 and 17.
While one suspect was caught by Crime Branch from Anand Vihar by tracking his Instagram post, the others were held by the local police.
The accused have claimed that the doctor had humiliated and rebuked one of the juveniles during treatment, prompting him to plan the murder.
A senior officer said they were having trouble establishing a motive for the crime. “The two youths, being minors, can’t be interrogated strictly in custody and, thus, police are looking for corroborative evidence to their claims. The accused have provided multiple conflicting versions of events, including a monetary dispute over the payment of treatment and the doctor’s alleged affair with a nurse,” the officer said.
Also read: How ‘teenagers’ killed doctor inside chamber
According to police, one of the juveniles was the alleged mastermind who planned and abetted the murder. “He met with an accident on the intervening night of Sept 20-21 in Faridabad and came to Nima Hospital for treatment. He was accompanied by another juvenile. The deceased doctor, Javed Akhtar, treated him and subsequently raised a bill of Rs 1,200,” DCP (southeast) Rajesh Deo said.
DCP (crime) Rakesh Pawaria said, “The incident stemmed from a disagreement the day before when the juveniles visited the hospital for dressing. A heated argument occurred between them and the doctor. The next day, the juveniles returned to the hospital, got their dressing, and then shot him.”
Deo said the juvenile patient alleged that he was being overcharged, which led to the heated argument. He finally paid Rs 400 and left the hospital.
However, the teen claimed that he was rebuked and humiliated by the doctor and hospital staff. The DCP added that the juvenile had gone back to the hospital with his aunt after around 10 days to get the bandages removed, but the hospital staff refused to attend to him and he was again rebuked by Dr Javed. “He instigated the others to eliminate Dr Akhtar. He also provided the desi katta,” Deo said.
Another juvenile also suffered an injury and went to the same hospital for treatment, said Deo. “He did a recce of the hospital and, due to provocation and instigation by the former, he shot and killed Akhtar.”
He was apprehended by Crime Branch while the others were caught by the southeast district police.
The minors were produced before the juvenile justice board and sent to an observation home. The weapon of the offence and one cartridge have been recovered from the teen shooter, police said.