Further investigation is underway to arrest the rest of the accused. (Representational)
Three men were arrested and four juveniles were apprehended for allegedly killing a 19-year-old youth in northeast Delhi's Seelampur area, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Anas (22), Faizan (22), and Asif (22), all residents of Janta Mazdoor Colony of Welcome area, they said.
According to police, Shoaib Mastan, the dead youth's brother, and one Altaf had some dispute in jail, which resulted in Altaf's father hatching a conspiracy to kill Mastan's brother.
On Wednesday around 2.25 am, police got a call that someone was stabbed in Kabadi Market area near Seelampur dispensary.
By the time police reached the spot, the injured, identified as Sameer, had already been taken to hospital where he was declared brought dead, a senior police officer said.
On the statement of Shajid, a cousin of Sameer, a case was registered.
Sajid said that Sameer used to run a tea stall on Chauhan Bangar Pulia.
On Wednesday around 2 am, when he was at his tea stall, Anas came and took Sameer to Kabadi Market near the dispensary where his five to six other associates of Anas were already present, the officer said.
First these people had an argument with Sameer, then they stabbed him and ran away. Sajid heard Sameer shouting for help, reached there and rushed him to GTB hospital, police said.
During investigation, police checked the CCTV footage of the area and saw a group of people at the spot having an argument with Sameer and pushing him around.
On the basis of the footage and other evidence, police arrested three men and apprehended four juveniles from Janta Mazdoor Colony, Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Sanjay Kumar Sain said.
The accused revealed that Mastan and Altaf, who are currently lodged in Tihar Jail, had some dispute. Altaf had told about his enmity with Mastan to Zoaib Chaudhary, a cousin of his, who relayed the information to Altaf's father Aftab, police said.
Aftab then hatched a conspiracy to kill Sameer and involved all the accused to execute it.
It has also emerged that Sameer and Anas - who used to work with Aftab - had an affection for the same girl, police said.
Anas had threatened Sameer to stay away from that girl, and when Aftab told Anas about his plan to eliminate Sameer, he became a part of it and helped him rope in others, police said.
It was Anas who had taken Sameer to Kabadi Market, where the other assailants were already present, police said.
Three knives used in the crime have been found and seized, police said, adding that further investigation is underway to arrest the rest of the accused.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)