Bloodbath was to avenge murders

The double murder as part of a gang war in west Delhi’s Chhawla on Monday was to avenge the killing of two men, including a retired Delhi Police head constable, last month. A 22-year-old man named Dharmender was arrested for the deaths on December 31.

The men shot dead on Monday were Dharmender’s father Vinod and brother Kamal, police said. Vinod and Kamal were shot by a group of men outside their house in Shikarpur village.

“Dharmender is a member of Manjeet Mahal gang. The gang members are wanted for involvement in the murder of former Najafgarh MLA Bharat Singh. We suspect the role of Jyoti-Nandu gang behind Monday’s attack,” said a police officer.
Dharmender Kumar was arrested after about 50 rounds were fired at Chhawla on December 20.

On that day, a man named Sunil was shot dead near Chhawla police station. Sunil and his friends were having dinner when Manjeet Mahal’s gang member Nafe Singh called them to sort out a dispute over money.

Sunil was, however, killed in indiscriminate firing.
Sunil was a member of the gang led by Jyoti and Nandu. Within hours, over half-a-dozen men barged into Nafe’s house in Ghumanhera village and gunned down his father. Hari Kishan, 62, had retired as a head constable with Delhi Police in 2014.

The gang went on to open fire at Nafe’s mother Kamla and wife Sharmila, but spared his two children, an 11-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son. Kamla sustained three gunshot wounds, while Sharmila was hit in her head.

 “The attack was in retaliation to Sunil’s murder,” added Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West) R A Sanjeev. Nafe, 35, has criminal history and was linked with an alleged land grabbing racket run from Tihar Jail in 2014.

On Monday, three men in a car had first shot Dharmender’s brother Kamal, who was inside his house. The gang then went to the cattleshed and shot Vinod. They also opened fire at Vinod’s brother Virender, but he managed to escape unhurt.