Property dealer shot dead in Delhi’s Chhawla

A property dealer, Balwan Gehlot, was shot dead in Chhawla; police suspect fugitive gangster Kapil Sangwan's group was involved.

New Delhi

Police said two to three assailants reportedly shot him at close range. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A 42-year-old property dealer was gunned down inside his car in Chhawla locality on Friday, police said, suspecting the involvement of fugitive gangster Kapil Sangwan’s group in the incident. Locals said a car came from the Chhawla bus stand around 4-5pm on Friday and crashed in the middle of a farm, with a dead man inside it.

The victim was identified as Balwan Gehlot, a resident of Chhawla. Police said two to three assailants reportedly shot him at close range.

A senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said, “We believe two to three assailants came on a scooter and fired at him. One of the bullets hit the deceased and he died on the spot. We are questioning his family. Prima facie, it has been found that fugitive Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu was harassing Gehlot.”

Sangwan, 32, who is suspected of operating out of the United Kingdom, has been found running an organised crime syndicate, mostly working with Delhi-based criminals, police said. Most of the cases he is involved in are reported from Najafgarh in Dwarka, Chhawla and adjoining areas. Police said Sangwan was arrested in 2016 and released on parole in 2019, but he fled. A red-corner notice was issued against him in 2021. They said he was also involved in the murders of INLD leader Nafe Singh Rathee and BJP leader Surender Matiala.

Senior police officers said that either the deceased had taken a loan from Sangwan’s associate or was subjected to extortion attempts. Police said Sangwan sent local criminals to kill Gehlot.

Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh, “We are still verifying all facts. The deceased was shot by unidentified assailants who fled the spot after the attack. We received information about the firing and rushed to the spot where Gehlot was found critically injured. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead.”