ASI, two others gunned down by unidentified assailants

A Delhi Police assistant sub-inspector along with the two other men were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Outer Delhi's Mianwali Nagar late Sunday night. The assailants were targeting, Bhupendra, a local criminal, who was accompanied by two of his personal security officers.

The assailants managed to kill Bhupendra, ASI Vijay Singh and Arun, who was also accompanying the police party. Apart from the deceased, constable Kuldeep was also shot, but he managed to survive after he was chased a few metres by the assailants.

The police are yet to make any headway in the case and have detained several men for questioning. It is suspected that this was a case of honour killing, as Bhupendra had married a local criminal's sister against his wishes, setting off the events leading up to his murder.

Bhupendra, who has several criminal cases against him and is a property dealer, was accompanied by his PSO's ASI Vijay Singh, Constable Kuldeep and his friend Arun, who works at a gym in Rohini.

Around 11:30 pm, Bhupendra and Arun along with the PSO's were seated inside a Maruti Ciaz car near the national market in Mianwali. While the men waited inside the car, a group of unidentified assailants on two motorcycles and one car intercepted them and started firing indiscriminately.

The occupants of the car were sprayed with several rounds. Two men tried to flee from the spot but they were brought down by a hail of bullets, as they died on the spot. Constable Arun who managed to survive the barrage was chased a few metres from the spot.

Eyewitnesses told Millennium Post, that after killing the men, the assailants fired at their shops, located in the market. "They told us to shut down their shops, they also fired at the shutters and walls of several eateries," said Yogesh, an eyewitness.

The police had sent in teams around 11:45 pm, but by then all the three men were dead. The bodies of Vijay Singh and Bhupendra were taken to Sanjay Gandhi hospital for post mortem. Arun's body was taken to Balaji hospital.

Twenty hours have passed since the brutal killing of the three men, which took place a few metres from the Mianwali police station, but the police are yet to make any headway in the case.

"Our forensic teams have collected the evidence. We have also detained several men from the locality, this case will be investigated from all angles," said DCP (Outer), MN Tiwari.

The investigators have claimed that this may be a case of honour killing, as Bhupendra had married, Rajrani, the sister of Sonu Dariyapur. Sources have claimed that Bhupendra and Sonu who were associates had a falling out after which Sonu tried to kill him and his wife on previous occasions.

"In 2006, right after their marriage, some assailants opened fire at the newlywed couple at Punjabi Bagh flyover. The assailants pumped four bullets inside Bhupendra's body, but he survived. Fourteen years later, the assailants managed to finally kill him," said Vishal Chopra, Bhupendra's advocate.