A cab driver, who was shot dead in a road rage incident near Red Fort on Monday, was a humble man who never got into a fight, a friend said. “We are worried about the future of his wife and eight-month-old son,” said Shah Faisal, a family friend of Sakib.
At around 12 am, the cab, being driven by Mohammad Sakib (36), approaching from Kodia Pul to the Chatta Rail Crossing allegedly hit an e-rickshaw, which led to an altercation between the drivers of the two vehicles.
Sakib was forcibly dragged out of his vehicle by two people. As onlookers began to gather, Sakib managed to catch one of the attackers, but the other shot the cab driver and Luv Kush (15), a local beggar.
The two injured were rushed to LNJP hospital where Sakib, who had suffered a gunshot injury on his upper abdomen, died, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) M K Meena said. “I had never seen him fighting with anyone for any reason. He was extremely courteous towards his passengers as well,” Faisal said.
“It was around 1 am, when I got a call from Sakib’s younger brother Salman. He told me that something had happened to Sakib and was rushed to LNJP hospital. It took us around 25 minutes to reach here, but by that time he had died,” Faisal said outside the mortuary. He further said that the entire incident has been caught on CCTV cameras.
“I saw the footage. Sakib was not at fault. After the collision, an altercation ensued between Sakib and the e-rickshaw driver. All of a sudden two men on a scooter reached the spot and picked a fight with him,” Faisal said, adding that passersby first intervened and the matter was sorted out.
Faisal alleged that the two attackers tried to snatch Sakib’s cell phone. “Those two men started thrashing Sakib, dragged him out and in the melee, one brandished a gun and fired a few rounds,” he said.
“We saw in the video that every single person was on the side of Sakib, as he was not wrong at that time, which may have enraged the assailant and he shot Sakib in a fit of rage,” Faisal said.
An FIR has been registered under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and provision 27 of the Arms Act. We are also checking the CCTV footage, the DCP added.
