Cattle lifter arrested for murder

The 22-year-old leader of a cattle rustling gang was arrested for murdering a man whose cows he was caught stealing, police said Sunday.

Javid alias Zabbi, a resident of Faridabad in Haryana, was the leader of a gang that stole cattle from the bordering areas of Delhi. He was arrested Feb 28 from Badarpur area of south Delhi where he had come to meet his accomplices.

Police said that on the night of Feb 23, Javid and his accomplices reached Pul Prahladpur area of south Delhi in a truck and while stealing some cows were caught red-handed by their owners Krishan and his cousin Ravi.

As the duo raised an alarm, one of the gang members shot at Ravi and escaped. Ravi later succumbed to his injuries.

Police said Javid headed a team of a dozen people who were all armed with weapons.

They would conduct a recce of a neighbourhood in the afternoon and then strike at night.

The gang was also involved in a number of criminal activities in the national capital region apart from stealing cattle.

In 2013, Javid had fired upon a police team in Haryana. He was arrested but later released from jail after six months.