52-year-old shot dead in ‘revenge attack’ in Delhi's Aya Nagar

Locals alleged that 15-20 rounds were fired by the unknown individuals, who came in a car and fled soon after the firing.

New Delhi: A 52-year-old man was shot dead by a group of unknown assailants in south Delhi’s Aya Nagar early on Sunday.

According to police, a PCR call was received about the firing at 6.25am from Aya Nagar. (Representational/HT Photo)

The man, identified as Ratan Ram, had stepped out in the morning to buy milk when the incident happened. No arrests have been made yet.

Ram’s family alleged that it was a “revenge killing” as his son, Deepak, had killed a businessman named Arun Lohia in May this year.

According to police, Arun was in his SUV with his father and were returning from a court when Deepak and another assailant fired more than 10 rounds at them near Chhatarpur metro station, killing Lohia. Deepak and his associates, Yogesh and Ajay, were arrested within two weeks of the crime following a brief exchange of fire with the police.

Police said the enmity is over a land dispute. An officer said, “Deepak and Arun were friends earlier. Both are into land business. However, in 2023-24, they got into a fight over a property. In 2024, Arun attacked Deepak and an attempted murder case was lodged. Looking for revenge, Deepak then killed Arun. Now, we suspect that Arun’s family could have attacked Deepak’s father. We are investigating the case from all angles.”

According to police, a PCR call was received about the firing at 6.25am from Aya Nagar. Locals alleged that 15-20 rounds were fired by the unknown individuals, who came in a car and fled soon after the firing.

Police said CCTVs are being scanned to identify the accused and nab them.

Meanwhile, Ratan’s family members accused Arun’s father, Rambir Lohia, and his brothers in law for the murder.

Dharmendra Singh, Ratan Ram’s nephew, said: “Our brother (Deepak) is already in jail for murder. He got his punishment. Why take revenge by killing my uncle? He was innocent and was never involved in any dispute. We think the accused had planned this for a long time and conducted recce too, as they knew the exact time and route my uncle took every morning for his walk. They followed him and shot him right outside a shop. They fired 20 rounds and our uncle died within seconds. By the time we were told, his body had been shifted to the hospital. We think Lohia’s son in law and other relatives are involved in the firing.”