Representative image showing a gun.
Credit: iStock Photo
New Delhi: The nephew of gangster Manjit Mahal was shot dead in front of his daughter, who also suffered a bullet injury in the attack, allegedly by unidentified assailants in the Bawana area on Friday morning, an official said.
The victim was identified as Deepak (43), he said. The case is suspected to be in connection with a rivalry between Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang and Manjeet Mahal gang.
However, Deepak had no recent contact with Mahal and has no prior involvement in any criminal case, a source in the police said.
The incident occurred when Deepak, a share trader, had gone for a morning walk with his 10-year-old daughter, and his father was sitting outside their house. Deepak was shot dead by unidentified assailants just 700-800 metres away from his home, a senior police officer said.
"Deepak suffered multiple bullet injuries and died on the spot. His daughter received a gunshot wound on her hand during the attack. Both were immediately taken to a hospital, where Deepak was declared dead and his daughter was said to be out of danger," the officer added.
"Initial investigation suggests that the shooters knew all the entry and exit routes of his house. They had likely conducted proper reconnaissance of the area and were waiting for the right time," a police source said.
He said that the moment Deepak came out of his house and walked some distance, the shooters approached and shot multiple times from a close range.
A case has been registered, and teams have been formed to identify and nab the attackers. The motive behind the shooting is yet to be ascertained, police said.
Forensic teams have examined the crime scene and the CCTV footage from the nearby area is being scanned, the officer said.
Sources in the police said that they are investigating the entire incident from all angles, including the long-standing feud between Mahal and United Kingdom-based gangster Nandu.
"Deepak was a share trader by profession and was a nephew of Mahal as well. Teams are checking what led to the shootout if it was a property-related case of gang activities," said the source. He is survived by his wife, two children and parents.
However, sources also said that no gang war had taken place in the last couple of months between the Nandu gang and the Manjeet Mahal gang.
The two gangsters have been at odds for years, with their rivalry leading to the deaths of over a dozen people.
Notorious gangster Nandu, who is already wanted under a Red Corner Notice, remains a key suspect.
Red Corner Notices are issued for fugitives wanted either for prosecution or to serve a sentence. A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. Nadu claimed responsibility for the murder of Haryana political party leader Nafe Singh Rathee of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) two years ago, along with a series of other violent crimes, including the killing of a builder in Paschim Vihar.
Nafe Singh Rathee, along with a party worker of Jai Kisan, was gunned down near the Bahadurgarh railway crossing in Jhajjar.
In a social media post, Sangwan claimed responsibility for gunning down Rathee. The post had said that Rathee was killed due to his close friendship with Sangwan's rival, gangster Manjeet Mahal.
Nandu had claimed that Rathee and Mahal were close aides, and he accused the INLD leader of collaborating with Mahal's brother Sanjay in activities like property acquisition and supporting Mahal in the murder of his brother-in-law and associates.
He also claimed responsibility for the murder of a property dealer in west Delhi's Paschim Vihar in a social media post. He claimed he killed the victim, Rajkumar Dalal, alleging that he was illegally occupying plots for his rival Manjeet Mahal, who is in jail.
"I killed him. He was illegally occupying plots for my enemy, Manjeet Mahal. When Manjeet Mahal came out on parole, he even went to meet him," he had said in his social media post.
Further investigation in the case is underway, police added.