For the family of Mohammad Aamir and Hashim, it was a homecoming they never wished for.
Not heeding to the warning of their eldest brother Shairuddin, 25-year-old Aamir and 16-year-old Hashim set out from Ghaziabad on Wednesday evening to meet their family in the violence-hit Gokalpuri.
The next day, their family rushed to GTB hospital and identified the bodies that had been pulled out of a drain.
According to Akram, a family friend, "Around 8.45 pm Shairuddin received a call from Aamir that he is coming to Gokalpuri from Ghaziabad to meet him. Shairuddin warned him against coming to the riot-hit area."
Aamir worked as a driver in Ghaziabad and Hashim, a school dropout, assisted him.
"Despite being warned, Aamir insisted on visiting home, saying he knows the area well and will manage to reach home safely," Akram said.
That was the last time the family heard from the two brothers. At 10 pm, when the two bothers did not reach home, the family made calls to Aamir's mobile phone number, but it was not reachable.
"They thought the duo must have gone back since they were cautioned against coming here. But their number remained unreachable till morning and the family then went to file a missing complaint with the police at Dayalpur police station where they were asked to provide photographs," Akram said.
Upon returning to the police station with the photographs, a woman officer said she has seen their bodies at GTB Hospital. The family rushed to Hospital and identified their bodies that had been pulled out of a drain between Ganga Vihar and Gokalpuri, the family friend said.
The family is yet to get the bodies as the post-mortem would be carried out tomorrow, he said.