Civic contractor shot in Kurla, escapes unhurt
The police suspect that the attack might just have meant to be a warning as the assailants fired at metal body of the the car and not at the person inside.
Mumbai: A 32-year-old civic contractor escaped unhurt from an attempt on his life as two men shot at him in Kurla’s Kapadia Nagar late on Monday. He later alleged that the attack was carried out by his business rivals.
The police suspect that the attack might just have meant to be a warning as the assailants fired at metal body of the the car and not at the person inside.
The police said the contractor, Surajpratap Singh Deora, has named two suspects — Sameer Sawant and Ganesh Chuggal — who work for his business rivals. He also claimed that the attack is a fallout of a dispute over a contract worth ₹45 crore — to develop footpaths and gutters from Bandra to Dahisar.
The Kurla police have registered an offence for attempt to murder, common intention and under relevant sections of the Arms Act based on complaint filed by Deora, a contractor with the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Police housing department.
A police officer, from Kurla police station, said, “On Monday, Deora, along with a friend, had come to BMC’s L ward office in Kurla West. Around 7.55 pm, when he had reached Kurla CST road near Kapadia Nagar, he saw a man running towards him with a pistol in his hand, firing at him.
“There was another assailant, who tried to stop their car. However, Deora managed to speed past the two, who tried to chase the vehicle on foot,” said a police officer.
The shooters had approached Deora’s car on foot perhaps believing that they would be able to stop the vehicle in heavy traffic, said the police officer.
Deora, a resident of Dahisar, told the police that he later left his car and took an auto to reach Vakola police station. He was then taken to Kurla police station, where he named two suspects and a case was registered against them.
Deora told police that in November, 2022, Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority had invited bids for a work. He had submitted his tender for ₹30 crore and even paid one per cent amount of ₹45 lakh as earnest money deposit through his firm, Dharm Constructions. The tender documents are being scrutinized by the executive committee of the housing authority.
“Most of the contractors by now had withdrawn and out of the 12 companies that bid, only three or four were left in the fray. I was one of them,” said Deora.
“In the first week of December, Deora’s cousin Veerendra Singh Deora had got a call from Sawant and Chuggal telling him to ask the contractor to withdraw his bids and in turn, they will give him some compensation. They threatened him with dire consequences, if he did not withdraw,” said a crime branch officer.
When Deora did not withdraw his bids, they called again. “Chuggal in the call threatened him and told him ‘The world is very small and we will meet soon’,” said the police officer.
A crime branch officer said, “We suspect that the accused wanted to threaten the complainant and therefore, did not fire on the window panes, but on the metal parts of the vehicle. We are looking for the accused. Both of them are Ghatkopar residents and work for government contractors.”
