New Delhi: A woman known locally as ‘lady don’ has been arrested and three others detained in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old boy in Delhi’s Seelampur area, police said on Friday. The main accused, identified as Zikra, reportedly worked as a bouncer for the wife of jailed gangster Hashim Baba.
The victim, Kunal Singh, was attacked around 7:30 pm on Thursday, just metres away from his home. According to his family, he had stepped out to buy milk for his ailing father when he was targeted. He was taken to JPC Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
As news of the murder spread, protests broke out in Seelampur. Hundreds of locals and members of Hindu organisations, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), gathered demanding swift action against the accused. Police and RAF personnel have been deployed to control the situation.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Eastern Range), Pushpendra Kumar, said, “Ten teams have been formed to crack the case, and they are looking at all possible angles. We have detained a few people for questioning. The case will be solved soon.”
Police sources confirmed Zikra’s arrest and said her cousins, Sahil Khan and Rihan Mirza, are among those detained. The identity of the third person in custody has not been disclosed.
Zikra, already out on bail in a previous Arms Act case, was living in a rented home near Kunal’s. She had earlier posted a video online holding a pistol. According to police, she used to live with Zoya, Hashim Baba’s wife, before Zoya’s arrest in a drug trafficking case. Zikra was allegedly trying to form her own gang after that.
Family members of the victim allege Zikra was present during the attack. Sources say the murder may have been linked to an old feud. A few members from Kunal’s community were earlier accused of attacking Zikra’s cousin Sahil, and a case of attempt to murder was filed. Police suspect Thursday’s killing may have been a revenge attack.
According to investigators, Kunal was warned by the accused on Thursday morning. Later in the evening, he was cornered near a Shiv-Parvati temple. “The accused got hold of Kunal opposite a Shiv-Parvati temple in the area. While two persons stabbed him, two others watched,” a police source said.
Despite managing to run into a nearby clinic, Kunal could not be saved. “The doctor rushed him to a nearby hospital in an e-rickshaw but he died on the way,” the source added.
Kunal’s father, Rajdeep Singh, said, “I was not keeping well for the past three months and recently underwent a surgery. I returned from the hospital only yesterday and asked my son to buy milk from the market to prepare tea. But the criminals killed him on the street.”
“I want justice for my son. Police are just giving us assurances but have done nothing till now,” he added.
His mother, Parveen, said, “Zikra used to roam around in the area with a pistol. An incident happened with her cousin Sahil but my son was not involved in it. Yet they killed him. They brutally stabbed him multiple times.”
Police sources say Zikra was looking to expand her influence and get involved in the drug business through Zoya. “Zikra had ambitions to launch her own gang. She wanted to get close to Hashim Baba through Zoya and also wanted to get involved in her drugs business. However, her plans suffered a setback after the arrest of Zoya,” said a source.
Zikra’s social media profile reportedly featured multiple videos of her flaunting firearms. She had over 15,000 followers and allegedly led a gang of 10–12 young men, some of whom are now being linked to Kunal’s murder.
Amid the unrest, posters saying “Hindus are migrating” and “Please help, Yogi ji” were put up in the area. Police later removed the posters.
(With PTI inputs)
