The Special Cell of Delhi police arrested Mohd Ayaz from Bengaluru, who was responsible for the murder of Head Constable Rattan Lal during the Delhi riots that happened in 2020, as per the statement given by Delhi police on June 21. Ayaz was one of the main accused in the murder case, and he has been absconding since then. He was arrested from a village in Chikkaballapur district which is near Bengaluru, Karnataka, on June 17.
The 53 years old accused, Mohd Ayaz, is a resident of Chand Bagh in the Karawal Nagar area in Delhi. He was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh. According to the statement released by Delhi police, “Accused Mohd. Ayaz s/o Haji Wasiq Ahmed r/o H. No. D-78, gali no.1, Chand Bagh, Karawal Nagar, Delhi (Age 53 Years), was apprehended from a village in District Chikkaballapur near Bengaluru, Karnataka on 17/06/2023. He was declared Proclaimed Offender in the case where a Delhi Police Head Constable Ratan Lal was killed, while Sh. Anuj Kumar, the then ACP/Gokulpuri and Sh. Amit Sharma, the then DCP/Shahdara sustained multiple grievous injuries. A reward of Rs. 1 lakh was also declared on his arrest by Delhi Police”.
According to the police statement, “In January 2020, accused Mohd. Ayaz, along with his brother Khalid and others started anti-CAA/NRC protest at Chand Bagh, Delhi in the line of Shaheen Bagh demonstration. Thereafter, on 23.02.2020, a secret meeting was held at his home’s basement and it was unanimously decided to bring sticks, iron rods etc. to block the road in view of the visit of US President Donald Trump so as to gain maximum attention at international level”.
Delhi police stated as a part of a pre-planned conspiracy, “The rioters blocked the road leading to Jafrabad Metro Station and consequently, different groups started rioting in various parts of North-East and Shahdara Districts of Delhi and the same continued till February 26, 2020 resulting in death of over 50 people, injury to hundreds of persons and huge loss of government and private properties. Over 750 cases were lodged in different police stations of Shahdara and North-East districts of Delhi in this regard”.
While describing the riots, Delhi police said, “A huge mob gathered at the Chand Bagh protest site in the morning of 24.02.2020 and attempted to block the main Wazirabad Road. However, when the police team tried to stop them, the accused Mohd. Ayaz, his brother Khalid and other rioters started pelting stones and attacked the police party causing death of Delhi Police Head Constable Ratan Lal and grievous injuries to many other police officers/personnel. A case vide FIR No. 60/2020 was registered at PS Dayalpur, Delhi in this regard, which is being investigated by Crime Branch of Delhi Police. The accused Mohd Ayaz and Khalid had been absconding and evading their arrest in this case for last three year”.
After the riots, Delhi police and its Special Cell were making continuous efforts to nab people involved in the Delhi riots, “especially the culprits involved in the murder of Head Constable Ratan Lal”. The Special Cell kept a close watch on “the close contacts of accused Mohd. Ayaz and his brother Khalid. The technical and manual surveillance revealed that Mohd. Ayaz and his brother Khalid were changing their hideouts frequently”.
It was reported that both the accused moved out to the rural areas in Manipur to escape the arrest. But after continuous technical and manual surveillance, police came to know that “Mohd Ayaz had moved to Bengaluru in the first week of June 2023”. The Special Cell followed the trail and located Ayaz in the area of Dhiburahalli, district Chikkaballapur, Karnataka, which is around 100 km from Bengaluru and arrested him on June 17.
