NEW DELHI
A day after property dealer Raj Kumar Drall was shot dead in full public view by at least eight assailants in a “contract killing” incident at Paschim Vihar, a social media account titled “Nandu” has claimed responsibility for the incident, police said on Saturday.
According to the post, the murder was an outcome of gang rivalry between gangsters Nandu, alias Kapil Sangwan, who is reportedly abroad in hiding, and Manjeet Mahal.
The social media post, mentioning names of “Kapil Sangwan Nandu, Sourabh Nangloi, Raju Ghalot Najafgarh, Nandu”, claimed responsibility. It went on to state that Nandu planned the murder because the victim and his brother were grabbing land for Manjeet Mahal. “He and his brother had gone to meet Manjeet Mahal when he had come on parole in January. I know everyone who had gone to meet Mahal. Anyone who will be close to Manjeet Mahal will meet the same fate,” the post read.
“Don’t play this victim card; you started it, am gonna finish this,” it added.
A senior police officer said they are examining the post. “The murder is being investigated from all angles. We are also looking into this post and using technical surveillance to identify the user who posted it,” the officer said.
At least four armed men opened fire on a white Toyota Fortuner, killing 53-year-old Drall on Friday morning. Drall, also known as Billu, was alone in the SUV when the assailants, waiting in ambush, sprayed the vehicle with bullets.
At least eight rounds struck Drall, police said. As the wounded man slumped over the wheel, the Fortuner veered across the carriageway and crashed into a divider beneath the Vikaspuri flyover. Drall, who lived in the upscale SBN Colony nearby, died at the wheel.
Police said the assailants fired 12 to 14 rounds at close range. The attack, captured by several CCTV cameras in the area, is believed to have been carried out by hired shooters who had been tracking Drall for days, said a senior police officer privy to the case details.
“This has all the hallmarks of a premeditated killing,” said the officer, who added that multiple teams had been formed to identify and arrest the shooters.
