Chhawla double murder: 3 suspects identified

Three suspects have been identified in connection with the murder of a father-son duo in southwest Delhi’s Chhawla area over what police said was the fallout of a long-standing gang rivalry.

“There were at least three persons involved in the crime, whom we have identified.

“One of them is already wanted by police in connection with a murder at a village in Chhawla in December,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Dependra Pathak said on Tuesday, adding that several police teams are conducting raids in Delhi, NCR to nab the alleged culprits.

A 43-year-old man and his son were shot dead allegedly by a group of men outside their residence on Monday evening in the Chhawla area. The deceased were identified as Vinod, owner of a dairy farm at Shikarpur village in Chhawla, and his son Kamal (19), who had a vegetable shop there, said police. “The incident is suspected to be the fallout of a long-standing rivalry between gangs in the area that are fighting for supremacy over land. The suspects in the case are known to be rivals of a gang leader, Manjit Mahal, who is also wanted by police in several cases,” said an official privy to the investigation. 

According to the police, the incident took place at around 8 pm on Monday when a group of men came to Vinod’s residence in a car and asked to meet him. Vinod came out and entered into a heated argument with the group. When his son tried to intervene, one of the men whipped out a gun and shot at them. The assailants fired at least six rounds and fled the spot before locals arrived on the scene. Police were informed and the father-son duo, each of whom sustained two bullet injuries, was rushed to a hospital where both were declared dead. A case of murder has been registered in the matter.