Cab driver shot dead in Gurugram, Lawrence Bishnoi gang claim responsibility

According to the police, Solanki had a criminal record — he was arrested and convicted in 2014 for the double murder of ambulance owner Bijender Chauhan alias Kukku and his driver Rajender Singh in November 2012

In what is suspected to be a revenge killing, a 35-year-old cab driver was shot dead allegedly by three masked men on Tuesday night near his home in Sector 10, police said on Wednesday, adding that one of the suspects was arrested within a few hours of the crime. A hunt was on for the remaining two, they said.

The deceased, identified as Rahul Solanki, was shot at least 13 times, police said. (HT Photo)

Police said the incident was reported from Saraswati Enclave in Sector 10A at around 9.45pm.The deceased, identified as Rahul Solanki, was shot at least 13 times, police said. Police were informed by Solanki’s wife and although they rushed him to a hospital, he was declared dead on arrival. The assailants were on a motorcycle and were waiting for Solanki to come home, police said.

Police said Solanki originally belonged from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh and lived with his family at a rented home in Block G of Saraswati Enclave. He was working with a cab aggregator for the past nine months, police said.

According to the police, Solanki had a criminal record — he was arrested and convicted in 2014 for the double murder of ambulance owner Bijender Chauhan alias Kukku and his driver Rajender Singh in November 2012. Solanki was sentenced to life imprisonment in the case and was out on bail since 2019 pending his appeal before the high court, police said.

Within an hour of Solanki’s murder, a man identified as Boxer Ritik, claiming to be a member of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, took responsibility for the killing in a social media post and also threatened other gang members. He also tagged Satinder Singh alias Goldy Brar, who was implicated in the murder of Congress leader and singer Sidhu Moosewala in Mansa, Punjab in May last year.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said they are verifying the claim. “We have collected the details of the account from which the post was made. There is a possibility that suspects created this account to mislead the police. Things will be more clear only after more suspects are arrested,” he said.

Within a few hours of the murder, police arrested one of the assailants, identified as Deepak Raghav, 20, from Suraj Nagar in Old Gurugram. During questioning, he allegedly told police that Solanki was involved in the murder of his friend’s father (Chauhan) in 2012. He claimed that he and his friends hatched the plan to kill Solanki and executed it.

Raghav will be produced before the court on Thursday and will be taken on police remand to identify the other suspects. Police are also probing whether he has any connections with the Bishnoi gang.

Sangwan said they are scanning through CCTV footage and recording statements of Solanki’s family members. “Solanki’s sister Surajmukhi is an eyewitness to the murder. She heard the gunshots and saw the masked men but could not identify them. They fled the spot after threatening the family,” he said.

“The son of Bijender Chauhan, who was a former employer of Solanki, is involved in the murder and raids are being conducted to arrest him,” Sangwan said.

Solanki’s wife Neetu said her husband had parked the car and was walking towards the house when the suspects shot him. “When I rushed out hearing the gunshots, I saw three men continuously firing at him. He fell to the ground and I raised an alarm and called police helpline 112,” she said.

A case was registered against unidentified people under sections 302 (murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of Arms Act at Sector 10-A police station on Wednesday, said police.

Dr Deepak Mathur, forensic expert, who conducted the autopsy on Wednesday, said three bullets were recovered from Solanki’s abdomen and there were four exit wounds. “That means there were at least four more gunshot wounds and it is suspected that the assailants fired at least 13 bullets at him,” he said.

Police said Solanki used to be an ambulance driver until the double murder in 2012.

Sangwan said Solanki had once taken the ambulance without informing his employer Bijender Chauhan and it met with an accident. “When Chauhan asked Solanki to pay for the damages, he refused to pay. He was fired over this and he bore a grudge against Chauhan,” he said.

The prosecution case was that Solanki asked his friends to call Chauhan seeking an ambulance to carry a body to Darbhanga in Bihar. “When driver Rajendra Singh and Chauhan reached the spot, Solanki and his associates killed them with iron rods and made off with the oxygen cylinders kept in the ambulance,” said Sangwan.

Police said based on technical evidence and call detail records, the suspects were arrested, convicted and sentenced to a life term in 2014.

In 2019, Solanki appealed the verdict before the high court and came out on bail. He lived with his wife, 10-year-old son, mother and sister, said police.

“After that, he broke all ties with his old criminal contacts. Solanki even borrowed money from his relatives to pay a down payment for the cab. But Chauhan’s son wanted to avenge his father’s killing. After learning that Solanki was out on bail, he planned the murder with his friends and executed it on Tuesday. We are trying to arrest him and the others,” he said.