1 dead, another missing as NE Delhi gangs feud again

With one gang member dead, another on the run, and both sides armed and restless, the area is once again bracing for a familiar storm -- one fuelled by pride, blood, and the pursuit of power.

A fresh round of gang violence is brewing in the trans-Yamuna belt, putting both the Delhi Police and the city on edge.

(Getty Images)

The protagonists this time belong to two of northeast Delhi’s most notorious groups — the Hashim Baba and Chhenu Pehalwan gangs — according to at least three officers familiar with the investigation.

The rivalry between the two gangs dates back decades. In June 2018, a fragile truce was brokered when gang leaders Abdul Nasir and Irfan alias Chhenu Pehalwan met at a local mosque to end years of bloodshed. The meeting, attended by relatives of both sides and several clerics, led to an agreement to divide territories and avoid interference in each other’s operations.

For a while, the peace held. Skirmishes that had claimed at least 17 lives came to a halt, and police breathed easier. But the truce also had an unintended fallout; Nasir’s trusted aide Ashim Ahmad, better known as Hashim Baba, broke away to form his own gang, reigniting the feud with Chhenu’s faction that continues to this day.

Since 2018, the rivalry between the Hashim and Chhenu gangs has claimed over a dozen lives in a string of murders and revenge killings, including the recent killing of Mohammed Misbah, a 22-year-old member of the Hashim group. Hashim Baba himself was arrested in November 2020 after an exchange of fire with the Special Cell.

Police said Misbah’s murder last week was not a random act of street violence but a meticulously planned hit, allegedly ordered by Rizwan Quazi, cousin of jailed gangster Chhenu Pehalwan and his de facto second-in-command.

According to investigators, Misbah was ambushed late Thursday night on Seelampur Main Road, a stretch long synonymous with gang turf wars. Around 10.30pm, he was sitting on a parked scooter with a friend, sipping tea, when four men on two motorcycles closed in.

“They dragged Misbah onto the road and shot him multiple times at point-blank range,” an officer said. “He took at least 15 bullets before the assailants fled.”

The attackers, police said, fired more than 25 rounds, ensuring their target was dead before fleeing. A murder case was registered at Seelampur police station, and within hours, the Special Cell and Crime Branch were roped in to prevent retaliation.

Within 48 hours, two suspects — Abdulla (23) and Faizan Ghazi alias Prince (25) — were arrested. Their interrogation revealed that the attack had been masterminded by Quazi, who had long harboured resentment toward Misbah. Once part of the Chhenu gang, Misbah switched loyalties after Chhenu’s arrest in May 2023, when the group weakened. His defection and his public taunts of his former associates was seen as a betrayal.

Quazi has been missing since the night of the murder. Police believe he is not only evading arrest but also hiding from Hashim’s gang, which is reportedly plotting revenge.

“He’s been trying to slip out to Dubai to save himself,” said an officer aware of the probe. “At first, there were rumours he had already fled, but informers now say he’s still in India. The story of his escape was likely planted to mislead both the police and his rivals.”

Investigators said the killing was fuelled by multiple triggers. Just days before his death, Misbah allegedly extorted ₹1 lakh from a betting operator linked to the Chhenu gang. Police also believe he had been planning to kill Quazi — a move that may have hastened his own end.

Barely two days after Misbah’s murder, shots were fired outside the home of a betting operator in Farsh Bazar, east Delhi — an apparent warning from Hashim’s men. No one was hurt, but the act, coupled with social media threats, signalled that the cycle of vengeance was far from over.

“We’re closely monitoring social media channels to prevent further violence in the name of revenge or supremacy,” said a senior officer. “Anyone attempting to disrupt peace or assert dominance through violence will face the strictest action.”

For now, the uneasy calm in northeast Delhi feels temporary. With one gang member dead, another on the run, and both sides armed and restless, the area is once again bracing for a familiar storm -- one fuelled by pride, blood, and the pursuit of power.