Man shot dead over battle for supremacy in liquor trade

A railway employee, Amit Khullar, 35, was shot dead near Chander Nagar underground parking in Alambagh on Tuesday midnight. Police have arrested his business partner while search is on to nab two others involved in the crime.

According to police, the murder has exposed the growing intervention of criminal gangs in liquor business in the state capital. Khullar was also involved in this business for the last many years and his murder was apparently the fallout of supremacy battle.

Khullar was shot dead when he was standing with his business partner Saroj Yadav near the underground parking. The police said Khullar’s family has named two brothers Rajesh and Nanhke Yadav, residents of Para, in an FIR of murder registered with Alambagh police station. The brothers had tainted background and known for their notoriety in Para area.

The police said the entire incident has been captured in a CCTV camera installed at a nearby petrol pump. They have arrested Saroj Yadav as the CCTV footage showed the assailants were familiar to him while raids are on to arrest the Yadav brothers. Khullar suffered three bullet wounds on chest and head and succumbed while being taken to KGMU trauma centre.

A senior crime branch official supervising the probe said Khullar and Saroj Yadav used to operate a liquor shop in Mohanlalganj. Khullar was making efforts to expand his business and was trying to grab two new contracts in Para area, but started facing resistance from Yadav brothers. “The brothers with the help of Saroj hatched the conspiracy to eliminate Khullar. Saroj intentionally called Khullar at Chander Nagar underground parking and tipped off the brothers about the latter’s presence at the spot,” he stated.

He said the probe also revealed that different groups backed by criminals and gangsters are operational in the liquor business.