Ghaziabad: Two men were arrested and a minor was detained for shooting a man dead in Loni, police said on Saturday.An officer said a country-made pistol, a live cartridge and a motorcycle without a number plate were recovered from the possession of Salman (20), Shoaib (23) and the minor. Two other accused, Fizu and Azim, are on the run, he added. All five are residents of Chiraudi village.According to a complaint filed at Loni police station, the five accused men had called Sonu, the deceased, to a shop on Friday and opened fire on him. An FIR was subsequently registered under sections 103(1) (murder) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS, and sections 3, 25 and 27 of the Arms Act (illegal possession, acquisition, and use of firearms) were added to the FIR. Teams were formed to arrest the suspects.With the help of CCTV footage and manual intelligence, police identified the accused and took Shoaib, Salman and the minor into custody within 24 hours of the shooting. The officer said teams have been formed to trace the rest of the accused men.During interrogation, Salman allegedly told police that Sonu had been following a friend’s sister while she travelled to and from college. He allegedly continued to do so despite being warned not to do so, Salman said, prompting them to plan the murder.Police found that Salman brought a Splendor Plus motorcycle without a number plate, and he, the minor and Azim travelled to Loni, where they purchased new clothes, shoes and towels to cover their faces.Shoaib allegedly called Sonu to a shop and made him sit there. The minor was riding the motorcycle, then arrived with Salman and Azim, and opened fire on Sonu with the intention of killing him. All of them later fled the spot.The accused were allegedly trying to escape through the Khadkhadi underpass route when the police intercepted them. Clothes allegedly worn by the suspects during the crime were also recovered.Further legal proceedings are under way, and police are verifying the accused’s criminal records.
