Delhi riots: Crime branch to investigate only murder cases, say sources

The Delhi Police crime branch will only investigate murder cases that were filed after the violence in northeast part of the national capital, sources said on Wednesday.

They said the cases of riots with section pertaining to murder will be investigated by the special investigation team (SIT) of the crime branch, while regular police teams would probe rest of the cases.

Police have registered four FIRs against expelled AAP councilor Tahir Hussain and his house was searched and he was found absconding, police said, adding efforts are being made to arrest him.

Shahrukh Pathan, whose picture of pointing a gun at an unarmed policeman during the communal riots in Northeast Delhi went viral, was on Tuesday arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district.

On Wednesday, Pathan was taken to Shamli for the recovery of pistol and other things he used him during the period. Police said the pistol that he had used during the violence to open fire, is yet to be recovered. They are also verifying if any police cases were registered against him outside Delhi.

On February 23, clashes broke out between pro and anti-CAA groups near Jaffrabad in northeast Delhi.

The violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured.

A large number of properties have been damaged as frenzied mobs had torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at locals and police personnel.