Lakhan Bhaiya's brother wept with joy

“I had been running pillar-to-post for the past three years to get justice for my slain brother. And finally, the moment of joy for me and my family has arrived,” said Ramprasad Gupta, brother of Lakhan Bhaiya who was killed in an alleged fake encounter in November 2006.

Gupta said that the pain of losing his younger brother would be always there. “My eyes filled with tears on Thursday night, when I saw it on television that the special investigation team [SIT] has made a valiant breakthrough in the case. I knew my efforts had finally paid off. I am sure that justice will be done to me and my family,” he said.

The family went through a trauma after the incident, and was still recuperating from it, Gupta added. “This is just the first set of arrests. Many more involved in the merciless killing of my brother are still to be put behind bars. We have full faith in the SIT.

“The incidence has opened a can of worms. It has put a question mark on the encounters carried out over the years by the Mumbai police. We owe a great deal to our lawyer, Shyam Marwadi, who has been made this possible,” he said.