Mohammad Rameez Ahmed Khan’s mother and sister grieve while waiting for the 14-year-old’s body to arrive at their Ayub Nagar residence, near Garden Reach. Picture by Amit Datta

The preparations were over for the twin wedding receptions scheduled for Saturday. But instead of waiting for the guests to turn up, the family on Thursday evening was counting moments for the body of its young member, Mohammad Rameez Ahmad Shah, to arrive.

The 14-year-old was killed by local criminals after he stood up to them at his Ayub Nagar home, near Garden Reach, late on Wednesday. He was shot from point-blank range, the bullet piercing through his right ear before lodging itself in the brain.

“The criminals had entered the house drunk and were trying to pull down the shamiana erected on the front courtyard. Rameez and the two grooms tried to resist them,” recalled the teenager’s uncle Mohammad Hamid Ahmed Shah, who claimed the family members were descendants of Tipu Sultan.

“The criminals retreated, only to come back armed with country-made pistols. But instead of being scared, the family members and some of the guests tried to chase them away,” said Hamid.

Once the goons reached a field nearby, they opened fire. “With everyone running for cover, Rameez headed straight for one of the goons, identified as Birju, who shot him dead,” Hamid added.

On Thursday, the entire family had gathered at the Ayub Nagar house, waiting for the body to arrive after the post-mortem.

D.P. Singh, additional superintendent of police (industrial), South 24-Parganas, said the five against whom an FIR has been lodged are involved in several criminal activities. “We have detained Rajju, one of the five, and are on the look-out for the rest.”

TEEN VICTIM: Mohammad Rameez Ahmad Shah

The family, however, alleged that the assailants were roaming free in the locality.

Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel and a huge contingent of state police were deployed in the neighbourhood to prevent any untoward incident.

“A preliminary investigation has ruled out a family feud as the motive for the killing. The murder was carried out by criminals who were earlier arrested on charges of robbery, murder and abduction,” Singh added.

An officer of the local Nadiyal police station said that two of the accused — Birju and Akbar Ali — had ben arrested earlier for kidnapping the owner of a medicine shop in Mominpur.

“Rajju, who has been detained, had been arrested for stabbing a local youth two months ago, following a property dispute,” he added.