I tried to catch him, but he disappeared into the dark, says slain man’s daughter

NEW DELHI: Anchal Singhal, 18, a first-year student at a Delhi University college, left dinner midway and started her scooter around 10pm, the moment she heard about the attack on her father, Ravi. She set off for the spot he was attacked — around 500 metres from their house.

On her way, she saw two men rushing away on a motorcycle, their faces covered with helmets.

“I suspect they were the killers. As soon as we faced off, the pillion rider jumped off the scooter and ran into one of the lanes, while the one riding the bike stared at me for a while, and then fled. I tried to catch him, but he disappeared into the dark,” she said.

Anchal believes her father’s killers are acquainted with the family.

“Someone who did not know that I am Ravi Singhal’s daughter would not look at me like that. Their behaviour was also suspicious. However, it is for the police to identify the assailants. I believe they knew my father,” she said.

She also said that her father usually carried home between ₹10,000 and ₹20,000 in cash. But on Thursday, he had an additional ₹5 lakh with him. “Someone knew he was carrying a huge amount, and was targeted as a result,” she said.

Ravi Singhal is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

Next to Ravi shop is a store owned by Himanshu — his elder brother’s son, who was also the first responder to Thursday’s incident.

“I heard the ruckus and stepped out of my shop. My uncle and his helper were running after a man on a motorcycle. The man had my uncle’s cash bag. My uncle pushed the bike, and the rider fell over. This was when one of them shot my uncle. He fell and hit his head against a staircase. I was running just 10-15 feet behind them,” Himanshu said, adding that before he could call neighbours for help, the attackers had escaped.

He said they arranged for a vehicle from one of their neighbours and rushed Singhal to hospital.

“On our way, we called an ambulance and shifted my uncle to the ambulance near Lado Sarai. The family members had meanwhile reported the incident to the police,” he said.

Himanshu also said that while on their way to Lado Sarai, they pleaded to a police control room staff stationed at Satbari to help them rush Ravi to hospital, or at least accompany them. “But the PCR staff said we needed to dial 100 first,” he said.

Deputy commissioner of police, PCR, Sharat Sinha said, they had heard about the incident but have not received an official complaint so far.

“We are getting this verified. Appropriate action will be taken against PCR staff if they are at fault,” Sinha said.