A 32-year-old driver was shot dead inside his rented house by two unidentified assailants in Simri village under the Bihta police station area of Patna district late Tuesday night, police said on Wednesday.

The deceased has been identified as Irfan Imam, alias Kallu Driver. He had been living in a rented house in Simri village with his wife, Neha Parveen, and their two sons for the past two years.

According to information, the incident took place around 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The two assailants allegedly arrived at the house and got the door open. As soon as Irfan opened it, they shot him in the head and fled with his mobile phone.

Hearing the gunshot, neighbours rushed to the house but found Irfan dead.

At the time of the incident, his elder son was reportedly sleeping beside him, while his wife and younger son had gone to visit her maternal relatives nearby.

The motive behind the murder remains unclear. However, reports suggest that an ongoing family dispute had prompted Irfan to live separately from his wife and children in a rented accommodation.

His wife told police that around a month ago, while the couple was returning from Ara on a motorcycle, unidentified persons had fired shots in the air near Maudahi village in Bihta. They escaped unharmed in that incident.

After receiving information about the murder, a police team reached the spot and launched an investigation. A spent bullet casing was recovered from the scene.

Bihta Station House Officer Amit Kumar said villagers informed the police around 11.30 p.m. that a man had been shot dead in Simri village.

“The victim sustained a gunshot wound to the head, which proved fatal. A spent bullet casing has been recovered from the spot. The motive behind the incident is not yet clear. The deceased’s wife and other family members are being questioned,” the SHO said.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder and searching for the assailants.

Delhi Police apprehended five people for gambling at a premises in the Welcome area of northeast Delhi and recovered Rs 56,140 in cash and playing cards from their possession, officials said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the action was taken at around 4 a.m. on November 10 following a tip-off about gambling activities at a premises in the Welcome area. Acting on the information, a dedicated team led by Inspector Rupesh Kumar Khatri, Station House Officer (SHO) of Welcome Police Station, conducted a raid at the location.

The team comprised Inspector Gianender Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Rambir, Head Constable Arun, and Constables Vinod and Aman.

During the raid, five people were found gambling. The police apprehended them and recovered Rs 56,140 in cash along with playing cards from the spot.

A case was subsequently registered at Welcome Police Station vide FIR No. 663/2026, dated November 10, under Sections 12/09/55 of the Delhi Gambling Act. During verification, two of the apprehended accused were found to have previous involvement in similar gambling cases, police said.

The accused have been identified as Jamil (39), son of Shaida; Sumit Kumar alias Khare (30), son of Mukesh Kumar; Sagar (28), son of Sule Singh; Nitin (30), son of Ram Kumar; and Pawan Kumar (40), son of Ramesh Kumar. All five are residents of the Welcome area in Delhi.

While Jamil, Sagar and Pawan Kumar have no previous criminal involvement, Sumit Kumar and Nitin were found to have been involved in one similar case each, according to the police.

The recovered cash and playing cards have been seized as part of the investigation. Further investigation into the case is underway.

In a separate operation on November 10, Delhi Police’s South District Special Staff busted an alleged illegal gambling den in JJ Colony, Khanpur, and apprehended five people, including the alleged organiser, Rajesh alias Banti (42). The police recovered Rs 1,51,140 in stake money and 104 playing cards. A case was registered at Neb Sarai Police Station under the Delhi Public Gambling Act.

Earlier on November 10, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of South District Police had busted another alleged gambling operation in the Sangam Vihar area and apprehended 12 people. The police recovered Rs 1,03,500 in cash and 458 playing cards of different colours during the raid.

According to the police, the raid was conducted at a premises on Asthal Mandir Road following a tip-off about gambling activities.

The 12 accused included Manoj (38), Rajender alias Rinku (38), Hardesh Kumar (44), Kamlesh Gupta (55), Ramkesh (72), Santosh Kumar Gupta (50), Amit Gupta (31), Madhav Mangal (36), Vijay (43), Rajkumar (59), Rahul Rathore (31) and Jitender Singh (38), who hail from different localities in Delhi.

The East District Police busted an organised robbery gang targeting unsuspecting passengers outside railway stations and Inter-State Bus Terminals (ISBTs) by luring them into shared taxi rides. Four alleged members of the gang have been arrested by the staff of Patparganj Industrial Area police station, leading to the detection of four robbery cases.

The police have recovered a car used in the robberies, a stolen mobile phone and Rs 3,800 in cash. The accused have also disclosed their involvement in more than a dozen other robbery incidents, which are being verified.

According to the police, the gang members posed as taxi drivers and offered shared rides to passengers waiting outside railway stations and bus terminals. Once the passengers boarded their vehicle and it travelled some distance, the accused robbed them of their cash, mobile phones and other valuables. In some cases, they also forced victims to transfer money through UPI from their bank accounts.

The case came to light on November 2, when a passenger approached the police alleging that he had been robbed after accepting a shared taxi ride outside ISBT Anand Vihar. The complainant was offered a ride to Kapashera Border. However, shortly after boarding the vehicle, the driver and two other occupants allegedly robbed him of his belongings and forced him to transfer Rs 7,000 through UPI.

Following the complaint, an FIR was registered at Patparganj Industrial Area police station under Sections 307/3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation was initiated.

Considering the increased movement of passengers during the festive season, the East District Police constituted a special team to identify and apprehend the suspects. The team, comprising SI Satender Yadav, SI Anshul Khokhar, ASI Ajit Kumar, ASI Arjun Singh, HC Kaushender, HC Sunil Kumar Sharma and HC Anil Kumar, worked under the leadership of the Station House Officer and the supervision of the ACP, Madhu Vihar.

During the investigation, police examined dozens of CCTV camera recordings and analysed the routes allegedly used by the gang. Another similar robbery was reported in the area on November 5, which further strengthened the suspicion that the same gang was involved.

Investigators subsequently identified one of the suspects as a resident of Khoda Colony in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Acting on specific Intelligence that the suspects would arrive in the locality in their taxi between 11 p.m. and midnight, the police laid a trap.

At around 11:45 p.m. on November 5, three suspects, identified as Veer Singh (35), Kishanpal (37) and Vijay alias Monu (40), were apprehended along with the Aura car used in the crimes. The fourth accused, Vikas alias Kalia (31), was subsequently arrested during further investigation.

The police said the accused withdrew money extorted through UPI transactions in cash from petrol pumps and CNG stations to facilitate its disposal.

The arrested accused have been identified as Veer Singh, a resident of Sambhal; Kishanpal, a resident of East Vinod Nagar, Delhi; Vijay alias Monu, a resident of Khoda Colony, Ghaziabad; and Vikas alias Kalia, a resident of Khora village, Ghaziabad. Vijay is previously involved in three criminal cases.

With their arrest, police have claimed to have worked out four cases registered on June 14, July 18, November 2 and November 6, 2026, at Patparganj Industrial Area police station.