New Delhi: During the 24 hours to Thursday evening, five people - a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, a tailor, a property dealer, a milk vendor and a restaurant employee - were killed in four murderous assaults in the Capital, the police said.

Two unidentified men barged into the residence of Mohammed Abid and his wife Shanno in Inderlok area of north Delhi at around 11.30 a.m. Abid, a rickshaw puller, was away from the one-room home.

Shanno in her complaint to police said the men demanded money and when she refused they drew out a knife and attacked her and her daughter, who had undergone four surgeries for brain tumour in last one year.

"During the scuffle the man slit open my daughter's throat and ran away. We rushed her to a private hospital where doctors further referred her to a big hospital. She died on her way to St. Stephen Hospital," she told police.

The police said a case of murder was registered at the Inderlok police station. "We suspect an insider job. The family's statement has some contradiction. But we are verifying it," a senior police official said.

Rakesh Kumar, a 25-year-old who ran the Pal Dairy in Seelampur of northeast Delhi, was stabbed to death by a milkman, Parveen, over a petty dispute at around 7 a.m.

Parveen came to Rakesh's dairy and asked him to keep his empty milk containers at the shop. When Rakesh refused, an altercation took place. "Parveen, in a fit of rage, drew out a scissor and hit Rakesh on his chest. The scissor pierced through Rakesh's heart and he died on the spot," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast Delhi) Jaspal Singh told reporters. A murder case was registered at the Seelampur police station and a search was on to nab Parveen.

Property dealer Salim Pahelwan, 40, was gunned down when he was going on a motorcycle to his Kadampura home in northeast Delhi late on Wednesday.

The police said Pahelwan, accused of murdering his sister in Uttar Pradesh, and was shot dead in Yamuna Vihar area by unidentified assailants. Pahelwan suffered a bullet injury on his back. He was admitted to the GTB Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The police said a case had been registered at the Bhajanpura police station. Jaspal Singh said the killing could be the fallout of personal vendetta.

In another incident, 25-year-old Ramesh, who was from Puducherry, was stoned to death at his rented accommodation in Dabri area of southwest Delhi on Wednesday.

The police said the victim's roommates, Selvaraj, Madhu and Ramesh - all from Tamil Nadu - were missing after Ramesh's body was found from their room. "They had hired the room a month ago and used to fight daily after consuming alcohol. We suspect the victim's roommates are behind the murder," said a police official. The victim worked in a restaurant in Dwarka Sector 6.

A 35-year-old man, identified as Ram Kishan, was found dead with stab injuries in Jahangir Puri area in northwest Delhi late on Wednesday. Ram Kishan worked as a tailor in the same area.

Source : IANS