Delhi road rage: Man who shot dead woman in Gokalpuri arrested

New Delhi: A 28-year-old man who shot dead a woman in a road rage incident in Gokalpuri was arrested after a brief gunfight with police early Friday, officials said.

Majid Choudhary, a resident of Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh, suffered gunshot wounds in both his legs in retaliatory firing by police personnel, they said.

The accused was identified after examining CCTV camera footage and a team was tasked to trace him, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Joy Tirkey said.

"On Friday, at 3:45 am, our team received information about the accused will be in the Nala road area in Gokalpuri," he said.

Simranjeet Kaur, 30, was shot dead on Wednesday following an argument between her husband and Choudhary after their two wheelers brushed against each other near the Gokalpuri flyover on July 31. She was travelling with her husband Heera Singh and two sons aged 12 and four years.

Choudhary was arrested after an encounter with police, Tirkey said, adding that he suffered bullet injuries on his left thigh and below the right knee.

Police seized a pistol and three bullets from him, and impounded a stolen motorcycle.

"Information was received that Choudhary would be in Gokalpuri to meet an associate. Police laid a trap near the Nala road area, and around 3:45 am, he arrived there on a motorcycle," Tirkey said.

"He was signalled to stop for checking. Instead of stopping, he opened fire at the police party. Choudhary fired three rounds. The police team returned fire and he was hit on both his legs," he said.

Choudhary is named in three criminal cases, including murder, police said.

The DCP said, "He was arrested for murder in 2015 in Sahibabad (Uttar Pradesh) and was in jail for six years. He came out of jail in 2021. He was arrested again in an attempt to murder case in 2022 in Shalimar Garden (Uttar Pradesh) and spent five months in jail."

"He came out on bail and was arrested for the third time in another attempt to murder case in 2022 in Shalimar Garden. His further antecedents are being verified," he said.

The officer said around 3:15 pm on July 31, Choudhary's motorcycle brushed against Singh's motorcycle near the Gokalpuri flyover.

"Singh was going towards Maujpur along with his wife Simranjeet Kaur and his sons on his Royal Enfield motorcycle. Choudhary had a verbal spat with Singh. Singh continued to drive on the road on the left side of the flyover, while Choudhary rode up the flyover. They continued to hurl abuses at each other," said the DCP.

Tirkey said Choudhary stopped his motorcycle on the flyover and fired a single shot down below, from a probable distance of about 30-35 feet. The shot hit Kaur in her upper chest, base of neck, which proved fatal.

Kaur was taken to the GTB Hospital in an autorickshaw, where she was declared brought dead, he said.