Couple shot on busy Noida road

A day after the Dhaula Kuan killing, a husband-wife duo were seriously injured after a property dealer fired three rounds at them following a heated argument

Couple shot on busy Noida road

A day after the Dhaula Kuan killing, a husband-wife duo were seriously injured after a property dealer fired three rounds at them following a heated argument

What statistics reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. While numbers may show that the crime graph in the National Capital Region (NCR) is on a downward slide, the brazenness of certain incidents in recent days and the fact that they have occurred in broad daylight and often in front of several bystanders does little to inspire confidence regarding the law and order situation in the area.

Blood on street: (Above) Munnawar Hussain and Meena are receiving
treatment at Kailash Hospital in Noida for their bullet wounds after they
were shot at by a real estate broker allegedly because of dispute over
a property deal that is already in court Pics/Imtiyaz Khan

Within 24 hours of the daylight murder of a second-year Delhi University student in Dhaula Kuan, a couple was shot, allegedly over a property row, on a busy Noida road, barely 50 metres away from Spice Mall and the Nithari area. The incident took place at 9.15 am on Wednesday.

Meena (38) and Munnawar Hussain (40) were on a bike, going to attend to some personal business, when they noticed property brokeru00a0 Gajnafar Hussain alias Laddan following them in his Mahindra Scorpio car. After seeing him the couple stopped at a traffic crossing and they started talking. The conversation turned into a heated argument and a brawl broke out between the two men. According to the police, as fisticuffs ensued between Munnawar and Laddan, Meena started hitting the latter with a helmet. Laddan started bleeding and allegedly in self-defence he whipped out his licensed pistol and fired three bullets. Traffic was moving slowly on the road and there were about 30 bystanders, but no one intervened.

Trigger-happy!
The woman received a bullet in her stomach while Munnawar was hit on the back. The third bullet missed the mark. Seeing that the situation had gone out of hand Laddan threw away his car keys and fled from the spot on foot.

"At around 9:15 am I was on my home after buying some railway tickets when I noticed these three fighting furiously on the road. Everyone was watching them but as the Scorpio driver was hit and he started bleeding profusely, he took out his gun, fired three bullets and fled. I immediately informed my friends in the media who called the police. Cops reached the spot in a short while and the injured were taken to Kailash Hospital," said eyewitness Swati Upadhadya, a resident of Sector 27 Noida.

Doctors at Kailash Hospital said that post-surgery Munnawar's condition is stable while Meena remains critical.
What it's all about Only a few days the couple had visited senior police officials with the complaint that Laddan was harassing them over a property dispute, though the case is in court. They were further asked to visit Sector 20 police station, where they mutually consented to end the dispute and wait for the court verdict.
According to the police, almost six months ago Meena and Munnawar had bought a house in Noida's Sector 34 for which they had to pay Rs 15 lakh to Laddan. But so far they have only paid Rs 12.5 lakh. The couple had also issued a cheque worth Rs 2.5 lakh that bounced. So Laddan issued a legal notice.

Munnawar spoke to MiD DAY while lying in bed at Kailash Hospital. "This guy is after us and he wants to kill me. He has also attacked me before and is eyeing my wife. So we went to senior police officials complaining about his acts. But today he crossed all limits and fired his gun at us."

Media savvy
Laddan, who was arrested outside a media house at around 2:30 pm on Wednesday, had a different tale to narrate. "I am being targeted. I was attacked and they are going scot-free, though they owe me Rs 2.5 lakh," said Munnawar. Before he could say much he was arrested by the cops and taken away. He has been booked under section 307 of IPC and his gun has been seized. Police are checking if Laddan has any previous criminal cases registered against him in the district.

"It's a case of property dispute and both the party had a brawl on the road in which Laddan fired at them as they were hitting him with a helmet. After firing three rounds he ran away," said Anant Sev Tiwari, Superintendent of Police, Noida.u00a0

"The victims live in D-144, Dhaulgiri in sector 34. Munawwar has a small unit at Nehru Place where computerised keys are made. His wife works as a receptionist at Jassola," a police officer said.