Delhi: Elderly woman shot dead, daughter critically injured in Najafgarh

A 62-year-old woman was shot dead, while her daughter was shot and critically wounded allegedly by a lone gunman in the main bazaar of Dwarka’s Najafgarh on Tuesday

A 62-year-old woman was shot dead, while her daughter was shot and critically wounded allegedly by a lone gunman in the main bazaar of Dwarka’s Najafgarh on Tuesday. Police said they suspect a monetary dispute to be motive for the killing and a hunt is on to arrest the shooter, who is suspected to be a relative of the women.

Police said there was a monetary dispute between the elderly woman and her daughter’s cousin, who allegedly opened fire at them. (Representative photo/Shutterstock)

Police identified the dead woman as Kailash, who lived with her family in Najafgarh. She was shot twice, while her daughter Vandana (32) was shot six times. “Her condition is critical and she is undergoing treatment,” a senior officer said, asking not to be named.

According to police, the incident was reported around 8.30am on Tuesday from the main bazaar in Haibatpura, Najafgarh. Quoting witnesses, police said Kailash and Vandana were at their shoe shop when Rajiv Gulati (37), Vandana’s cousin, reached the shop, opened fire at the two and fled the spot. Hearing the commotion and the gunshots, others in the market rushed to the shop and found the mother and daughter lying in a pool of blood. They were rushed to a hospital for treatment and the police were informed.

“During investigation, we found that since it was a bit early in the morning, the other shops were closed when Gulati allegedly shot the two women,” the officer said.

Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Shankar Chaudhary said further probe revealed that there was a monetary dispute between the Gulati and Kailash. “We came to know that Gulati had taken ₹2.5 lakh as loan from Kailash. We are verifying this information,” the officer said.

“Frequent arguments broke out between Gulati and Kailash as she kept asking him to return her money, and he refused. We are verifying this as well,” the officer added.

According to the police, they have launched the manhunt to nab Gulati. “We came to know that the accused also has a shoe shop in the area. We are scanning CCTV footage to get further leads in the case,” the officer said.