A 30-year-old man was shot dead in New Delhi on Sunday after he allegedly threw a stone at a pet dog, the Hindustan Times reported. The police have registered a case of murder against the dog’s owner, identified as Mehtab, who has been since missing.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Atul Kumar Thakur said that the murder took place after an argument between the two men when one threw a stone at the dog. “Prima facie, the dog belongs to the accused,” said Thakur. The deceased was identified as Aafaq Ali, a 30-year-old tailor.
The incident took place in Delhi’s Welcome area on Sunday evening. An unidentified police officer said that Ali was walking past Mehtab’s house when the dog started barking at him. Ali picked up a stone and threw it at the dog when it allegedly tried to bite him.
“Mehtab saw Ali throwing a stone at his dog and got annoyed,” said the officer. “An argument broke out between them. Mehtab brought a gun and shot Ali.”
The police said that Ali’s father-in-law called the police control room around 7 pm and reported the shooting. When the police team reached the spot, they were told that Ali had been taken to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Mehtab fled the house with his parents and wife and had left the animal tied to the gate, The Times Of India reported. According to the police, Mehtab has 20 cases of extortion and robbery registered against him and was recently released from jail.
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