The mastermind of the GTB Hospital mistaken identity killing was arrested in Meerut after several interstate raids in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, officials said on Thursday.
Faheem alias Badshah (30) had hatched the plan to carry out a murder at the GTB Hospital at his flat in Babarpur area on the instructions of a gangster, they said.
Police said that he procured two illegal weapons and 19 rounds, which he allegedly gave his shooters to killing his rival, Waseem.
"On July 14, an FIR was registered at GTB Enclave police station regarding the murder of a person identified as Riyazuddin (35) inside the GTB Hospital ward," Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Sanjay Kumar Sain said.
The other accused in the mistaken identity killing case -- those involved in entering and escaping from the hospital, the two shooters -- have been arrested but the mastermind of the entire killing was at large, he said.
"Finally Faheem was arrested near the highway in Meerut in UP on Wednesday," said the DCP.
He told the police that he came to Delhi in 2019 and started work with a property dealer. While working as a property dealer, he came into contact with the members of a notorious gang and got involved in petty offences, the officer said about Faheem.
In August 2023, he was arrested in a robbery case in Sarai Rohilla and spent about ten months in jail. After coming out from jail in June 2024, a member of his gang asked him to plan the murder of Waseem -- a rival gangster.
Anas, Faiz, Aman, Ferhan, Moin, Fozan, Saif and Shavej were also made part of the plan, the DCP said.
But Faheem and team missed their target Waseem and fired at another patient, Riyazuddin, at the GTB Hospital, he said.
