Bizman robbed, shot dead outside home
NEWDELHI:A 44-year-old businessman was shot dead allegedly by two men outside his home in northeast Delhi’s East Jyoti Nagar on Monday night. The attackers fled with the businessman’s gold chain while his bag containing ₹2 lakh cash and documents were found at the scene of crime by his family members, the police said.
Police suspect the snatchers may have tried to rob the victim, Rahul Gupta, of his cash bag, which he had fastened to his scooter. The businessman may have resisted their attempt and the robbers might have shot him, the police said.
The scuffle was captured on a CCTV camera installed at Gupta’s neighbour’s house in the same lane, but the duo could not be seen shooting him in the footage. Everything happened within 22 seconds and the suspects fled after taking a U-turn in the lane. The suspects had been watching Gupta’s daily routine, as footage of another camera in the area showed the suspects around his house in the past couple of days.
The businessman, Rajul Gupta, owns an electronic goods showroom in the same area, around 400 metres away from his home in a gated colony covered with CCTV cameras and roundthe-clock security guards at its two gates, the police said.
Deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Ved Prakash Surya said a case of murder has been registered at the Jyoti Nagar police station and five teams have been formed to identify and nab the assailants, who were riding a Hero Splendor bike.
“The suspects were wearing caps and their faces were not covered either with helmets or clothes,” said Surya.
Gupta’s brother, Amit Singla, a doctor by profession, said that his brother was returning home from his showroom on a scooter when the assailants shot him. Singla said they were at home when Gupta’s 17-year-old daughter heard her father screaming, “paise loot liya, paise loot liya (my money has been stolen)”. His vehicle hit the main gate of his house.
On hearing his screams, Gupta’s family members came out and found him unconscious outside the gate with his right leg under the scooter. His family thought he had a heart attack and rushed him to a private hospital in Karkardooma. They did not find gunshot injury on his body or blood at the spot, the police said.
Police said the control room received two calls from the hospital authorities -- first around 10.30 pm wherein the caller said that an unconscious man was admitted and his brother said he had a heart attack. Around 11.30 pm, the hospital authorities called again saying they found a bullet wound on Gupta’s shoulder.
“Gupta was declared brought dead in the hospital. Whether he died of gunshot injury or because of a heart attack will be established after the autopsy,” said a police officer associated with the case.
“We have not found any eyewitness who could tell us the exact sequence of events that led to Gupta’s death. The police control room did not receive any call from the spot,” added the officer.
While robbery appears to be the apparent motive behind the crime, the police said certain facts, which have emerged during the initial probe, have led them suspect that could also be personal enmity, business rivalry or some other motive.
Gupta is survived by parents his wife, two children, two brothers and their families.