Seelampur murder: Who is Zikra, the 'lady don' arrested for stabbing of teen?

A woman was arrested and three others detained in connection with the fatal stabbing of a teenager in northeast Delhi's Seelampur area.

 

Kunal Singh, 17, was stabbed near his house at around 7.30pm on Thursday. He was rushed to the JPC Hospital nearby but doctors declared him brought dead. The killing sparked off protests in the area, with several Hindu outfits demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.

 

"Ten teams have been formed to crack the case, and they are looking at all possible angles,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Eastern Range), Pushpendra Kumar, told PTI. “We have detained a few people for questioning. The case will be solved soon.”

 

Who is Zikra?

 

The woman arrested has been identified as Zikra, known locally as ‘lady don’. She worked as a bouncer for jailed gangster Hashim Baba's wife, Zoya, who was arrested by Delhi Police in a drugs case.

 

Reports suggest that Zikra was trying to form her own gang after the arrest of Zoya, with who she used to live.

 

"Zikra had ambitions to launch her own gang. She wanted to get close to Hashim Baba through Zoya and also wanted to get involved in her drugs business. However, her plans suffered a setback after the arrest of Zoya, who helped her procure arms and ammunition," PTI quoted a source as saying.

 

Zikra is notorious for her videos on social media where she is seen brandishing firearms. She was arrested earlier under the Arms Act. Out on bail, she had rented a house near Kunal Singh's place. 

 

Kunal Singh's murder an act of revenge?

 

Kunal’s family claimed that Zikra was present when he was fatally stabbed.

 

PTI quoted police officers as saying that Zikra wanted to avenge her brother’s stabbing. Since coming out of jail around 15 days before the Seelampur murder, she was on the lookout for a person named ‘Lala’ who had allegedly beaten her brother, Hindustan Times reported. She had reportedly asked Kunal about Lala, and had got him stabbed when he could not help her.

 

Reports also suggest that the gang believed Kunal was part of the group that attacked Sahil. Kunal’s family says his murder could be an act of revenge by Zikra’s gang.

 

Security has been beefed up in the area with the deployment of police and Rapid Action Force.

 

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP and the opposition AAP are blaming each other for the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the capital.

India