NEW DELHI: Five days after police began investigating the killing of an eight-year-old boy by a stray bullet at a New Year Eve celebration, the case unravelled to prove that it was the father who had fired the fatal shot. Police arrested Yasin Malik and another man, residents of New Usmanpur in northeast Delhi, on Saturday and brought the mystery of the boy’s death to an end.As the story stood, eight-year-old Rehan and his friends had pooled money to set up a DJ console in front of Malik’s house on December 31 in preparation for New Year revelry later that night. Accordingly, the party began and many people had joined in the music and dancing. As the clock neared midnight, some persons were believed to have fired weapons in the air to welcome the new year. Soon after, Rehan fell motionless on the DJ floor, his right cheek torn by a bullet.The investigating officers said that the boy was taken to a nearby hospital but he had already died before he could be given medical aid. The police teams contacted Malik and other witnesses at the party, but the father claimed to be ignorant of who had fired the shot, though he alleged he had seen a man wearing a green jacket brandishing a pistol while dancing.On Saturday, Atul Kumar Thakur, DCP (Northeast), revealed how Malik was involved in the elaborate cover-up to evade responsibility for the accidental killing of his son. Police arrested Malik and his friend Ravi Kashyap and registered a case of murder against them. Thakur said that over 50 suspects were questioned before the two men were taken in.According to the cops, Malik, a known bad character of the area, had quickly gone about creating a false narrative about the celebratory firing and the fatal shooting. He succeeded in misleading the investigating team for five days as they pursued both the man in green jacket and the DJ, whom some local residents accused of being drunk at the time and who one man testified — falsely — had been seen firing in the air.However, deeper probing established that neither man was involved. After questioning more than 50 people, the cops were finally told by an eyewitness that Malik had himself fired the shot that killed his son. So far, Malik, who runs a meat shop in the area, had appeared a shocked victim and evoked much sympathy.The boy’s father was subjected to questioning, where he broke down and confessed to firing the gun. When Rehan collapsed after being hit, Malik had handed over the weapon to Kashyap for disposal. He then left the celebration venue for his house, later coming outside in pretended shock. Police have recovered the weapon from Yamuna Khadar and remanded the two men in judicial custody. Malik had earlier been booked in a case, while Kashyap had been arrested for robbery.

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