New Delhi, Feb 10 (PTI) A day after a 35-year-old businessman was shot dead in the Bawana industrial area here, a social media post purportedly issued in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the killing.
Investigators said that four men were involved in the attack, during which the assailants first attempted to snatch the keys of the victim’s car, forcibly took away his laptop bag when he resisted, and then shot him at close range.
Police have also found around Rs 1 crore inside the victim’s car.
Multiple teams have been formed to verify the authenticity of the post and trace the assailants, while the scope of the probe has been widened to examine angles of extortion and organised crime links, police said.
According to the post from an account using the name ‘Randeep Malik Anil Pandit’, the killing was carried out on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi, Jitender Gogi Maan, Hashim Baba and Kala Rana gangs.
The post, written in a mix of Hindi and English, alleged that the victim, Vaibhav Gandhi, was “interfering” in the gangs’ activities and warned that anyone obstructing their operations would be eliminated without prior notice, police said.
Gandhi, a plastic granules manufacturer, was shot dead around 12.50 pm on Monday near his factory in Sector 4 of the DSIDC industrial area in Bawana.
Police said two of the motorcycle-borne assailants were near the victim while the other two were positioned a short distance away.
“As the victim attempted to flee, he was chased for about 40 to 50 metres during which multiple rounds were fired. One bullet struck him in the chin, causing him to collapse on the spot,” a senior police officer said.
The assailants fled after the shooting, while Gandhi was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead, police said.
While the incident initially appeared to be a case of robbery, police said the manner of execution and the subsequent claims by the gangs suggest a larger conspiracy involving organised crime.
CCTV camera footage from the Bawana industrial area is being scanned to identify the shooters and trace their escape route, the officer said.
Police are also analysing the digital footprint of the social media accounts mentioned in the post – ‘Randeep Malik’ and ‘Anil Pandit USA’ – to ascertain their origin and possible links to known gang members.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police has been roped in due to the alleged involvement of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which has been linked to several high-profile killings and extortion cases across the country in the past, officials said. PTI SSJ BM ARI
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