NEW DELHI: A 52-year-old property dealer was gunned down inside his car, allegedly by unidentified assailants, in west Delhi’s Paschim Vihar on Friday morning. Police are yet to make a breakthrough, but suspect it may be linked to extortion or gang rivalry.
The victim, Rajkumar Dalal, was a resident of State Bank Nagar. He is survived by his wife Sujata and their son, who is a doctor.
Around 6.50am Friday, Dalal was heading to a gym in Punjabi Bagh in his Fortuner when he was ambushed by the suspects, who were lying in wait in a car in the service lane just outside. A local shopkeeper who witnessed the incident said Dalal had to slow down after exiting the colony’s Gate No. 1 due to a speed breaker and traffic on the main road near his house.
“At least three-four men in a Swift Dzire emerged suddenly and fired about a dozen rounds at Dalal. He lost control of his SUV, which crashed into the divider under the flyover,” he added.
Eight bullets hit Dalal, killing him on the spot. According to another eyewit ness, the assailants fled the scene, followed by suspected accomplices on two motorcycles. Police were alerted around 7.15am by a PCR call to Paschim Vihar (East) police station. “Dalal was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead,” a senior police officer said.
A forensic team reached the spot and cops collected footage from CCTV cameras.
Bizman followed strict gym routine
Dalal ran the real estate business with his brother Vijay. The two families used to live in the same house, but Dalal had recently moved into a newly-constructed flat in the same lane. “The family relocated in 2016 from UP’s Tikri, where their business is also based,” said a relative.
Recalling the incident, a neighbour said, “Sujata, who had received a call from the security guard at the gate about the firing, came running for help and asked for Vijay, who lives in our building. We later learnt Vijay hadn’t answered the phone as he was feeling unwell. Sujata woke him up, and he rushed to take Dalal to the hospital.”
According to his family, Dalal followed a strict gym routine and left home early every morning. “He was very particular about his schedule. Like other days, on Friday morning too, he left the house early, then waited downstairs for a few minutes while his car was being washed. His gym is in Punjabi Bagh, so he got into his car and left,” said his cousin.
Another family member said, “It seemed like they had been observing his daily routine for some time. For them to know exactly when and where he would go, they must have been watching closely. Their car was parked just metres away from the gate.”
The area where the incident took place is a residential neighbourhood. At the time of the incident, three or four security guards were present. Six CCTV cameras, positioned at different angles, are installed at the gate where Dalal was shot.
According to one of the security guards, “There was complete chaos when I started my shift around 8am and the night duty guard signed off. People were rushing to the spot, a huge crowd had gathered, and the car was being towed away.”
DCP (Outer) Sachin Sharma said a case had been registered and several teams were probing the incident.
