New Delhi:

For years, she stayed untouchable. But the law finally caught up with the ‘Lady Don’ of Delhi. Zoya Khan, the wife of notorious gangster Hashim Baba, was arrested for possessing 270 grams of heroin, worth approximately Rs 1 crore in the international market. 

Zoya, 33, had long been on the radar of law enforcement but always managed to stay a few steps ahead. She managed her jailed husband’s criminal empire by running his gang while ensuring that no direct evidence could link her to illegal activities. Despite suspicions about her role, the police had never been able to build a solid case — until now.

Hashim Baba has dozens of cases against him, ranging from murder and extortion to arms smuggling. Zoya Khan is his third wife. Before marrying Hashim Baba in 2017, Zoya was married to another man. After her divorce, she came into contact with Baba. The two were neighbours in North East Delhi where they fell in love. 

Empire Of Crime

After Baba was jailed, Zoya took over the gang’s operations. According to sources, Zoya’s role in her husband’s gang was that of Haseena Parkar, the sister of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who once controlled his illegal businesses. Sources in the Delhi Police Special Cell say that Zoya was deeply involved in managing extortion and drug supply.

Unlike a typical crime boss, Zoya maintained a certain image. She attended high-profile parties, flaunted expensive clothes, and indulged in luxury brands – details evident from her social media presence where she enjoys a large following. 

Zoya frequently visited her husband in Tihar Jail. Police sources say Baba trained her in coded language, giving her tips and advice on how to manage the gang’s finances and operations. She also maintained direct contact with his associates outside prison, as well as with other criminals.

For years, the Special Cell and Crime Branch of the Delhi Police struggled to catch her. This time, however, the Special Cell succeeded. Acting on intelligence, the police arrested Zoya in the Welcome area of North East Delhi. She was caught red-handed with a large quantity of heroin, allegedly sourced from Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar for further distribution.

The police suspect that Zoya also provided shelter to shooters involved in the Nadir Shah murder case. Mr Shah, a gym owner in South Delhi’s posh Greater Kailash-1 area, was shot dead in September 2024. Last month, she was interrogated at the Lodhi Colony office of the Special Cell in connection with the shooting. 

Family Background 

For Zoya, crime is a family enterprise. Her mother was jailed in 2024 for her alleged involvement in a sex trafficking ring. She is currently out on bail. Her father was linked to drug supply networks. Zoya herself operated from different locations in North East Delhi, particularly Usmanpur, always surrounded by 4-5 armed henchmen –loyalists of her gangster husband. 

The North East Delhi region has long been associated with criminal gangs, including the Chhenu gang, the Hashim Baba gang, and the Nasir Pehelwan gang, among others. While these groups initially focused on drug trafficking, their conflicts have resulted in a series of violent murders after 2007.

Baba’s gang amassed massive extortion revenue, much of which was funnelled to Zoya. 

Links To Lawrence Bishnoi

Baba’s name surfaced in the Nadir Shah murder case last year. While in Tihar Jail, he allegedly confessed to his role in the killing and implicated Lawrence Bishnoi – another jailed gangster who runs a massive network of shooters, involved in the murder of musician Sidhu Moose Wala and the firing incident outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s Mumbai residence. 

According to the police, Baba and Bishnoi developed ties during the former’s imprisonment in 2021. Despite being held in separate jails, they maintained contact through illicit phone lines and video calls, coordinating criminal activities from behind bars.

New Delhi:

Four persons allegedly killed a 26-year-old man in east Delhi’s Ghazipur area on Tuesday using bricks and stones, police said.

All four men were arrested while they were trying to flee Delhi, they said.

The accused and the victim allegedly had a dispute and they had a quarrel some days ago, they added.

According to police, on Tuesday, they received information of a murder in Ghazipur area. After reaching the spot, police found a body. The victim was identified as Deen Dayal alias Pawan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (east) Abhishek Dhania said.

Eyewitness Ankit said that Pawan was killed by Rahul Thakur (23), Irfan (24), Sandeep (24), Nikhil Gautam (25) and two others by using bricks and stones. Police said that the two parties had some differences, the DCP said.

Police caught the four assailants and recovered the weapon of crime — a blood-stained brick — and a blood-stained cloth from them, he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The 30-year-old constable was killed allegedly after he rebuked two people for drinking on the road in outer Delhi, police said on Tuesday.

According to the 400-page chargesheet, Sandeep Malik was performing his night duty in civil clothes on September 29 when he spotted Dharmender (39) and Rajnish (25) drinking in a car in the Nangloi area.

An official, citing the chargesheet, said that when Sandeep Malik rebuked the accused, an argument broke out between them. They rammed their vehicle into Sandeep Malik’s bike, dragging it for 10 meters.

Following this, Sandeep suffered critical head injuries and was rushed to a hospital by the other policemen. Doctors declared him dead on arrival, officials said. The incident was captured on the CCTV camera, around 2.15 am.

A 400-page chargesheet was filed at Tis Hazari court on December 27.

The police in its chargesheet have made two people – Dharmender and Rajnish the main accused while two others – Jitender alias Jeetu and Manoj Shareman — were named for harbouring Dharmender.

Both Dharmender and Rajnish were arrested.

A senior officer said that the police have made a watertight chargesheet to ensure justice for the constable and his family.

Delhi Police had registered an FIR under sections 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions, 132 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 103 (murder), 249 (harbouring offender) and 3(5)(acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Nangloi police station.

The investigations revealed that the accused were known to Sandeep Malik as he was a resident of the same locality at Veena Enclave in Nagloi. A native of Haryana’s Rohtak, Sandeep Malik lived with two other police constables in a rented accommodation, police said. Dharmender had borrowed the car from his friend Amit, whose statement has also been added to the chargesheet.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The 30-year-old constable was killed allegedly after he rebuked two people for drinking on the road in outer Delhi, police said on Tuesday.

According to the 400-page chargesheet, Sandeep Malik was performing his night duty in civil clothes on September 29 when he spotted Dharmender (39) and Rajnish (25) drinking in a car in the Nangloi area.

An official, citing the chargesheet, said that when Sandeep Malik rebuked the accused, an argument broke out between them. They rammed their vehicle into Sandeep Malik’s bike, dragging it for 10 meters.

Following this, Sandeep suffered critical head injuries and was rushed to a hospital by the other policemen. Doctors declared him dead on arrival, officials said. The incident was captured on the CCTV camera, around 2.15 am.

A 400-page chargesheet was filed at Tis Hazari court on December 27.

The police in its chargesheet have made two people – Dharmender and Rajnish the main accused while two others – Jitender alias Jeetu and Manoj Shareman — were named for harbouring Dharmender.

Both Dharmender and Rajnish were arrested.

A senior officer said that the police have made a watertight chargesheet to ensure justice for the constable and his family.

Delhi Police had registered an FIR under sections 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions, 132 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 103 (murder), 249 (harbouring offender) and 3(5)(acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Nangloi police station.

The investigations revealed that the accused were known to Sandeep Malik as he was a resident of the same locality at Veena Enclave in Nagloi. A native of Haryana’s Rohtak, Sandeep Malik lived with two other police constables in a rented accommodation, police said. Dharmender had borrowed the car from his friend Amit, whose statement has also been added to the chargesheet.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A worker at a food outlet in east Delhi’s Preet Vihar was killed in a fight with a colleague early Thursday, police said.

The incident occurred at a food corner owned by one Tripta Rastogi, they said.

According to police, they received a PCR call from Rastogi that two of her employees, Suraj and Prakash around 2 am got into a fight during which Suraj reportedly struck Prakash on the head with a dumbbell and fled.

Rastogi rushed to the restaurant and found Prakash bleeding profusely. She rushed him to a nearby clinic and from there to Hedgewar Hospital where he was declared dead.

“We have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the accused and further investigation has been launched. A crime team inspected the scene, recovering the alleged weapon used in the attack,” a senior police officer said.

Police said some employees stayed overnight at the eatery, and the fight broke out over a “trivial matter.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

One person was killed and two others were injured when three men on a motorcycle opened fire on three friends returning home on a scooter last night in the Kabir Nagar area of North East Delhi. 

Nadeem and his two companions were en route to pick up food when the attackers ambushed them on a street. Nadeem was fatally shot, while his friend sustained serious injuries. The attackers fired seven rounds, before fleeing the scene with Nadeem’s scooter and mobile phone, leaving behind their own motorcycle.

Locals rushed to the scene and took the injured to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where Nadeem died of his injuries. His companion, whose condition remains critical, is still undergoing treatment. The police have initiated a murder and attempted murder investigation, and the body has been sent for post-mortem.

The police have arrested three minors in connection with the incident. According to sources, one of the three arrested minors had reportedly borrowed money from Nadeem and had been pressured for repayment. Police investigations are ongoing, with authorities examining CCTV footage.

The attackers are also linked to a firing incident in nearby Jyoti Nagar. Police say the same group was involved in firing six rounds outside a man named Rahul’s house earlier that night. The three juveniles, arrested with three country-made pistols, are in custody, and interrogations are underway.

In a separate operation, Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested two key members of an arms supply syndicate, seizing 13 pistols. Shakeel, the main arms supplier, has been cahrged in over 17 criminal cases, including involvement in the Hanuman Jayanti riots in Jahangirpuri. More than 50 pistols have been recovered from various suppliers in the last week alone.

New Delhi:

A shocking incident in which 2 boys allegedly harassed and threatened a woman and her son with knives in Delhi’s Raj Park area has gone viral on social media after video footage of the incident was posted online.

In the video, two boys are seen surrounding a woman and her son, with one boy pulling out a long weapon from his waist and threatening to kill her. The boy is seen trying to attack the woman with a long knife, pulling it back and swinging it towards the woman at least twice. Another boy, wearing a cap, also joins in later, brandishing a knife.

A crowd is also seen witnessing the entire incident, with a few bystanders intervening to try and control the boys by pulling them away from the woman.

The incident allegedly occurred on September 22, with the video emerging on social media yesterday, say officials.

The viral video has prompted Delhi Police to register a case and intensify the search for the accused boys. “We have received a complaint and are investigating the matter based on the viral video,” a police spokesperson said.

Nearby residents are concerned about safety and law and order in the area, with many calling for swift action against the perpetrators.

Delhi Police are urging anyone with information about the incident or the accused to come forward and assist in the undergoing probe.