Man, son held for property dealer’s murder

New Delhi: A 56-year-old property dealer was brutally murdered in South Delhi’s Vijay Mandal Park over a nine-year-old enmity, leading to the arrest of a man and the apprehension of his minor son.

The police were alerted about the incident through a PCR call received at the Malviya Nagar Police Station.

The accused has been identified as Khushi Ram (47) son of Ram Pratap resident of Valmiki Mohalla, Village Ochandi, New Delhi.

According to the police, the victim, identified as Lakhpat Singh alias Lakhpat Kataria (56), was attacked with a wooden cricket bat and later shot with a firearm while on his routine morning walk.

He was rushed to AIIMS Hospital in an unconscious state but was declared “brought dead.” A case under sections 103(1)/3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and 25/27 of the Arms Act was registered at Malviya Nagar Police Station.

Investigators retrieved bloodstains and a broken cricket bat from the scene. CCTV cameras revealed two masked assailants arriving on a black Hero Splendor motorcycle without a number plate.

They waited outside the park and chased the victim before attacking him. Multiple police teams scoured over 650 CCTV feeds spanning 55 km and conducted extensive technical surveillance to track the culprits.

Enquiries revealed that in 2016, the deceased had severely assaulted Khushi Ram during a property dispute, leaving him bedridden for nine months.

Since then, both parties have been embroiled in multiple legal battles. Police established that Khushi Ram had been nursing a grudge and had planned the murder meticulously, even timing the act a day before his son’s 18th birthday so that the latter could benefit from juvenile protection under the law.

According to police, the accused conducted reconnaissance of the victim’s daily routine before ambushing him.

Khushi Ram procured a country-made pistol and rode with his son to the park on the motorcycle used in the crime, which has since been recovered.

Further investigation is underway to trace the source of the weapon and ascertain if others were involved in the planning.

Police said the case highlights how longstanding personal enmities can escalate into premeditated violence despite years of relative calm.