Delhi violence: Tahir Hussain's licensed pistol, cartridges seized by cops sent to forensics

New Delhi: A licensed pistol owned by suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Councillor Tahir Hussain was seized by Delhi Police on Saturday (March 7) and sent for forensic test to ascertain whether it was used in the firing in the recent Delhi violence. The police also sent the 24 live cartridges, that were recovered from Tahir's house for forensics testing.

Tahir was arrested by Delhi Police on March 5 for the alleged murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma, during the violence in northeast Delhi last week. During the interrogation, Tahir revealed that he fled to Nehru Vihar in Mustafabad and stayed in Okhla for two days before he came out to surrender in court.

On March 6, Tahir was produced by the police before a Delhi court and sent to 7-day police custody in connection with the killing of the IB staffer. A day earlier, the Delhi's Karkardooma court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of expelled AAP leader, observing that nobody had appeared from the accused side.

The expelled Councillor is an accused in the FIR lodged over the alleged killing of IB officer Sharma whose body was recovered from a drain in Chand Bagh on February 26 during the violence in northeast Delhi.

The deceased's father, Ravinder Kumar, on whose complaint the FIR was lodged, named the AAP leader as an accused.

He alleged that Tahir, whose office is located near Chand Bagh Pulia, had gathered men who were pelting stones and petrol bombs during the violence which led to tension and fear among the residents.

At least 53 people, including IB staffer Ankit Sharma and a Police head constable Rattan Lal, died whereas more than 300 people have sustained serious injuries in the violence that raged for three days in northeast Delhi.