New Delhi: Gunshots rang out at a gym franchise owned by singer Guru Randhawa in Delhi’s Paschim Vihar, while a gym owner was shot dead in Haryana’s Hansi in seemingly unrelated incidents that occurred within hours of each other Thursday morning. Shortly after, a social media post went viral, purportedly written by a US-based man who claimed to be a member of Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang and took responsibility for the Delhi firing.
The Delhi incident isn’t the first of its kind. Over the past few months, firing incidents have been reported outside Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai, singers AP Dhillon and Karan Aujla’s homes as well as comedian Kapil Sharma’s Kap’s Cafe in Canada. Both Delhi police and Haryana police have launched investigations into Thursday’s events.
Haryana Congress MP Deepender Hooda wrote on X, “In the failed law and order system of the deputy government, the morale of criminals is sky-high, and the government is completely helpless! People are living in the shadow of fear and even paying ransom to criminals. Haryana demands answers.”
Meanwhile, another X post by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said, “Home Minister ji, why is the capital of the country in such a state, answer this?
‘He was getting too close to Salman Khan’
According to DCP (Outer) Vikram Singh, a PCR call was received about a firing incident outside the 24Hs FITNESS gym in Paschim Vihar. Two bike-borne men with their faces covered fired several rounds at the gym’s front glass before fleeing. Police have lodged a case under the Arms Act.
A caretaker of the gym told ThePrint, “I come to work around 6 am, that is when most people start to come in. I saw a crowd had already gathered and shots were fired on the third floor of the building. There are cracks on the glass. None of us were here when the shooting took place.” The gym employees stood outside, watching the news about the shooting on their mobile phones, while the police carried out preliminary investigations.
Shortly after, a social media post went viral in which an individual who identified himself as Anil Pandit, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed to be behind the shooting. Police are yet to verify the authenticity of the claim.
The post further said: “He was getting too close to Salman Khan. We had explained to him earlier also to stay away from him, he is our enemy, but he did not understand. Our enemies may hide in any corner, we will meet them all soon (wait and watch).”
“All those traitors who conspire against the country, hide in any corner of the world, we will kill them there only,” it added. Both incidents led to opposition leaders making statements, and demanding action.
Old enmity angle being probed
About 130 km away in Haryana’s Hansi district, 26-year-old gym owner Kapil was shot dead. CCTV footage shows two assailants in helmets arriving on a motorcycle and opening fire while Kapil was conducting a training session outside his gym in Fawara Chowk, before fleeing the scene. Kapil had recently shifted his business to a new location in the same area, said the police.
“Preliminary information suggests an old rivalry. A case has been registered, and the investigation is underway. Nearby CCTV footage is being examined,” Hansi Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinod Kumar said.
Like in the Delhi incident, another social media post surfaced, purportedly by an individual named Hari Boxer Sundar Hanshi. He wrote: “This murder of Kapil (operator of Red Gym) in Hansi, Haryana, I am responsible for it.”
“Boxer RD Dhaliwal, Harman Sandhu and Vikram are responsible. We have got this done. He was the main conspirator in the firing that took place in Sheikhpura and Dhani Puria and he had fully cooperated. Our brother Sundar had explained it to him twice but he did not understand and we will kill all those who were involved in that firing,” said the post.
Hansi SP Kumar said: “We have also heard about this angle, and we will include it in the investigation. There are some old disputes and enmity-related angles that have come up, and we will examine those too…”
Police said the attackers fled towards Bhiwani Road after the shooting. Kapil’s grandfather, Omprakash, said the 26-year-old had been working as a gym instructor for the past two years and had no known enmity with anyone. “He only minded his business. We demand the arrest of those responsible,” he said.
Kapil’s Red Gym, as per the Instagram post, had a “grand opening” on 10 April. Kapil would often post workout videos of himself and his trainees.
(Edited by Prakhar Agrawal)
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