Delhi shooting: Cops to seek custody of jailed gangsters Bishnoi, Baba
Five people have been arrested in connection with the murder, but the three assailants are still at large
Two days after a 35-year-old man was shot dead outside the gym he owned in south Delhi’s Greater Kailash-1 area, police on Saturday said they are likely to seek custody of jailed gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba, whose names have emerged as the prime conspirators in the brazen killing.
Baba is currently lodged in Delhi’s Mandoli jail, while Bishnoi is incarcerated in a Gujarat prison, they said. According to police, the Bishnoi gang suspected Shah of intervening in their extortion deals.
At 10.43pm on Thursday night, Nadir Shah, the deceased, was standing outside Sharx Gym in E Block, GK-1, when a man walked up to him and fired at point blank range. CCTV footage of the incident, accessed by HT, showed the assailant firing eight to 10 rounds at Shah, even as the victim’s friend took cover behind a Mercedes car and later escaped.
The assailant was accompanied by at least two men who were not seen in the video, police said. Five people have been arrested in connection with the murder, but the three assailants are still at large, they said.
“Shah was also a police informer,” said a senior police officer from south district, requesting anonymity.
Hours after the brazen murder, Rohit Godara — an aide of Bishnoi’s associate Goldy Brar — claimed responsibility.
“As per our information, a key member of the Bishnoi gang had demanded ₹40 crore from a businessman based in Dubai. The businessman approached Shah to renegotiate the deal, since Shah had multiple contacts. The deal was finalised at ₹20 crore, but the amount never reached the gang,” said a senior special cell officer, who asked not to be named.
Police said Anmol Bishnoi — Lawrence Bishnoi’s US-based cousin — approached Hashim Baba through intermediaries in order to know more about Shah.
“Their inquiry revealed that Shah took his commission from the businessman, and even got a Mercedes car as a gift, but he didn’t help with the deal (extortion of ₹20 crore). The gang decided to target Shah as the leaders felt that the deal got cancelled because of him,” another police officer said.
Police said they are verifying through multiple channels all such information about the motives behind Shah’s killing.
On Friday, police said they had arrested four people — Akash Yadav, 24, of Azamgarh; Naveen Baliyan, 33, of Sonipat; Nitalesh Tiwari, 20 of Kaptanganj, and Vishal Varma, 19, of Sultanpur Verehata — in connection with the murder, and recovered two pistols from their possession.
Police said that Yadav, Baliyan, Tiwari, and Varma were tasked with performing a recce in the area, follow Shah, and procure weapons and the bike used in the crime. They also helped the main shooter — identified by his first name, Madhur — escape, police said.
Officers said in the early hours of Saturday, they arrested a fifth suspect, identified only by his first name of Sajid, from northeast Delhi. According to police, he was among the group of people who extended logistical support to the three assailants.
“Sajid and the four people arrested earlier are all foot soldiers of key gangsters Bishnoi, Baba, and their accomplices sitting abroad such as Goldy Brar, Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu, and Rohit Godara. These foot soldiers only follow the instructions of their handlers and arrange logistics such as arms and ammunition, vehicles, and safe shelters for hitmen. Anonymity is maintained between such people so that they cannot identify other members of the conspiracy in case they were arrested by police,” said an investigator, on condition of anonymity.