12-year-old boy shot at during robbery in Delhi's Shalimar Bagh

Two bike-borne robbers shot and injured a 12-year-old, while snatching a mobile phone in north-west Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh in the early hours of Friday. The bullet went through the minor’s left arm and his condition is stable, the police said. No one has been arrested in the case so far.

Police said that the incident took place when the two suspects tried snatching the mobile phone of a man who worked for the 12-year-old’s father, who is into the tent and catering business.

The boy and his father were among the seven-eight people who had rushed to the man’s aid, after assuming that the pistol the suspects were holding was a toy gun, the police said.

A case of robbery and use of firearms was registered and teams were formed to identify and nab the suspects. The police are also scanning CCTV footage of cameras installed on the route that the suspects took while fleeing.

“We have some clues about the suspects. Our teams are working on the case and the duo will be caught soon,” said joint commissioner of police (northern range) SS Yadav.

Mohammad Mubarak, the goods vehicle driver, said that around 2am, he along with 10-11 people had come to a godown in Gali Number-8 to unload some catering items that they had ferried from a farmhouse in Alipur. Mubarak’s tempo was parked near the main Shalimar Bagh underpass-Max Hospital road, where the items were being unloaded.

“I was standing near my vehicle and had taken out my cellphone to call my family, when suddenly two men arrived on a bike, pointed a pistol at me and threatened to kill me if I raised the alarm. The pillion rider put a gun on my forehead and asked me to hand over my cellphone,” said Mubarak.

According to the driver, his employer and his 12-year-old son, who were standing some distance behind him, saw the men trying to rob him and started rushing to his aid. The suspects were about to leave when Mubarak asked them to return his driving licence that he had kept in his phone’s flip cover.

“The bikers found a ₹100 note in the flip cover while looking for the licence. Meanwhile, my employer, his son and some labourers had almost reached me. They were all screaming that the pistol was a toy gun. The robber panicked and fired once. The bullet hit the arm of my employer’s son,” said Mubarak, adding that the robbers then proceeded to speed away with his phone.

Deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Usha Rangnani, on the other hand, said that the robber fired once when the labourers threw stones at them, while charging at them.

“The injured boy was admitted to a nearby hospital from where he was discharged after medical attention. The bullet pierced his arm. His condition is stable,” said DCP Rangnani.