Delhi Police is probing the role of a woman alias ‘Lady Don’, who worked as a bouncer for jailed gangster Hashim Baba’s wife, after the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old youngster in north-east Delhi’s Seelampur area. There is a heavy police presence in the narrow lanes of Seelampur as the murder sparked protests in the area. Even as the police is investigating the crime, the name of a ‘Lady Don’ has now cropped up in the case.
The fatal stabbing of the 17-year-old in northeast Delhi’s Seelampur also triggered a war of words between the ruling BJP and opposition AAP on Friday. Both blamed each other for the “deteriorating law and order” in the city. The youngster was stabbed on Thursday at J Block in New Seelampur. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the youngster’s family will get justice. “I have talked to the Commissioner of Police. The police is making all efforts and I hope the accused will be arrested soon. It will be ensured that the bereaved family gets justice,” she said.
Police have identified two suspects - Sahil and Rehan - after scanning CCTV footage, Joint Commissioner of Police(Eastern Range), Pushpendra Kumar, said.
The deceased youth’s family, meanwhile, claimed that Zikra, a local woman known as ‘Lady Don’ in the area was present when Kunal was killed, the officer said. Police have since detained Zikra for questioning, sources said, though she has not been formally arrested.
“We have identified the accused who will be nabbed soon. 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,” Kumar said.
Zikra, who goes by the name ‘Lady Don’ on Instagram, once worked for a gangster’s wife but now leads her own gang of around 10 to 15 young men. She often posts videos brandishing weapons on her social media platform. Last month, she posted a video on the social media, wherein she was allegedly flaunting a country-made pistol. She has more than 15,000 followers on Instagram. Zikra worked as a bouncer for jailed gangster Hashim Baba’s wife Zoya, before the latter’s arrest by Delhi Police in a drugs case. She was reportedly living with Zoya before the latter was jailed. It is believed that Zikra was trying to form her own gang after Zoya’s arrest, sources said
According to locals, she is frequently seen roaming the area brandishing a pistol and filming reels for the social media. She was also seen with a gun during Holi celebrations. The videos, however, led to a First Information Report (FIR) under the Arms Act against her and a brief jail term.
The deceased’s family members claimed that sometime back, a few members from Kunal’s community allegedly attacked Zikra’s cousin brother Sahil, prompting police to register an attempt to murder case. Kunal’s murder could be an act of revenge for that incident, the sources said.
“It is suspected that Kunal was also involved in the stabbing of Sahil. Although Sahil did not die, he along with Zikra hatched a plan to take revenge for the attack,” a family source said.
Parveen, the mother of the deceased, said, “Zikra used to roam the area carrying a pistol. An incident happened with her cousin Sahil but my son was not involved. Yet they killed him. They brutally stabbed him multiple times.”
Zikra was previously arrested under the Arms Act for posting a video with a pistol on the social media. Out on bail, she was living in a rented house near Kunal’s residence. Names of some of her gang members are now surfacing in connection with Kunal’s murder.
The youth’s family also claimed that some area residents have been forced to flee out of fear of Zikra.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up with deployment of police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel in the area amid protests by area residents and activists of some Hindu outfits, including Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Posters with ‘Hindus are migrating’ and ‘Please help, Yoji ji’ written on them surfaced in the area, which police later removed.
Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly and senior AAP leader Atishi accused the BJP-led Central government and Delhi Police of failing to ensure the safety of citizens.
“The murder of a 17-year-old youth in Seelampur is another example of the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi,” Atishi posted on X.
“What is Delhi Police doing? What is Home Minister Amit Shah doing? What is the double engine government doing?” she asked, referring to the BJP Government at the Centre which controls Delhi Police.
Countering the opposition charge, BJP MP from North East Delhi, Manoj Tiwari, condemned the killing and said the matter was being taken seriously by law enforcers and assured people that swift action will be taken.
“The murder of the Dalit youth named Kunal is extremely worrying. The anger among the area people is quite natural,” Tiwari said in a post on ‘X’.
“I have been in touch with senior police officers from the district since last night. Most of the criminals have been identified and a thorough investigation is underway,” he added.
Assuring that the accused will be arrested and given strict punishment, Tiwari appealed for calm. “Efforts should be made to ensure that police action is not hindered,” he said.
BJP MLA Ravinder Singh Negi said, “We have assured the family that there is no need to panic or leave the area. Strict action will be taken against the accused. Police are doing their job, the culprits will be punished. In Hindustan, Hindus will stay. No one needs to leave their homes. We have removed the posters and assured people that we are standing with them,” he said.
“If there is a need for the Yogi model, it will be used. If an encounter is required, the police will act accordingly. If any accused tries to flee, we will respond with the Yogi model,” he remarked.