Four held for murder of tea vendor

GHAZIABAD: Four persons were arrested on Saturday for the murder of a 50-year-old tea vendor, Babu, who was killed in crossfire during a robbery in Loni on July 1. The accused have been identified as Afaque, Aamir, Nadeem and Imran, all in their early twenties.
The accused arrived in motorcycles at a poultry farm on July 1, looted Rs 2.5 lakh after firing at the staff indiscriminately.Babu, who owned a tea shop near the farm, was killed when he was shot accidentally in the crossfire.
According to police, Afaque is the son of a former Samajwadi Party councillor in the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation. Afaque, Aamir and Imran are history-sheeters, with a history of FIRs against them in several criminal cases.
The four men were nabbed near Banthala crossing in Loni during a routine checking while two of their accomplices, Faizan and Iram, managed to escape.
“About Rs 70,000 of the looted cash has been recovered from them along with weapons. Efforts are on to nab the two accomplices who are on the run,” a police officer said.