Police looking into Chadhas' murder
Two days after liquor baron and realtor Ponty Chadha and younger brother Hardeep Chadha killed each other in a gunfight at their farmhouse in south Delhi, the police are yet to ascertain who pulled the trigger first.
“We are waiting for post mortem, ballistic and forensic reports to ascertain who fired at whom,” said Vivek Gogia, joint commissioner of police (south-west). Around 100 people have been questioned in connection with the incident and 11 police teams are looking into the case. However, they are yet to discover ‘who fired whom’. The investigators said that there was tension between Ponty and his brother Hardeep for past one month over property.
“Their mother and community elders were trying to find an amicable solution to disagreements between the brothers. Efforts were on to find a compromise,” said Gogia.
On Saturday, Ponty sent his armed men simultaneously to two of their farmhouses — 42 DLF Central Drive farmhouse at Chhattarpur where Ponty and Hardeep were killed and another at C-98 Bijwasan in south-west Delhi – to forcibly take the possession of the farmhouses as Hardeep’s men were already taking care of them. His men broke the locks, fired in the air, bashed up Hardeep’s employees and forcibly took possession of the both the properties. Ponty was said to be accompanied by Sukhdev Singh Namdhari, Rashtriya Sikh Sangat’s Uttrakhand President and Uttarakhand Minority Commission Chairman and around 15 people.
He first went to 42 DLF Central Drive farmhouse. When Hardeep came to know of the incident, he rushed to the farmhouse where Ponty was already there, said an investigator.
After a brief heated argument the brothers fired at each one another. Ponty received four bullet injuries and Hardeep got two, according to preliminary post-mortem report contrary to earlier police reports.
“We received a call at 11.50 am about the incident and when we reached the spot we found Hardeep lying in a pool of blood,” said a police officer.
Police also recovered two pistols from the scene and on verification they found that Hardeep has two licenced pistols. Police then came to know about Ponty, who was rushed to Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj and later declared brought dead. Ponty’s secretary Narender also received bullet injury in his leg.
After investigation, police filed three cases. A case of house trespass, dacoity and kidnapping has been lodged.
Police have arrested two men – Madan Rana and Vijay alias Mallik – for house trespass and dacoity on C-98 Bijwasan in south-west Delhi. “They were not involved in the incidents in Mehrauli,” said a police officer.
While the police are still trying to crack the whole case, the family members have not come up with any allegations or filed any FIR against anyone. “There is no statement from family members about the incident,” said the officer.
