Gangsters shot dead by armed men in broad daylight near Najafgarh

Delhi Police ruled out the possibility of a gang war and said the killings could have been a fallout of a property dispute in a village in Najafgarh.

Two men, who had several criminal cases against them and were out on bail, were shot dead in full public view by unidentified gunmen in Bamnoli village, adjoining Najafgarh on Wednesday afternoon.

Police said the two murdered men — Pawan Mann Ponny and Sandeep Mental — face criminal cases such as murder, extortion and land grabbing. (HT/Photo for representation)

Police said the two men — Pawan Mann Ponny and Sandeep Mental — who were shot dead on Wednesday, face criminal cases such as murder, extortion and land grabbing. Police suspect the two had a long-run rivalry with jailed city gangsters Manjeet Mahal, Pradeep Solanki and Neeraj Bawana over property related disputes, which led to the killings. However, the Delhi Police officially ruled out the possibility of a gang war and said the killings could have been a fallout of a property dispute in a village in Najafgarh.

In December 2014, police had arrested Pawan Maan accusing him of working for Sandeep. The Delhi crime branch said Mental was running a land-grabbing racket from inside prison.

Senior Delhi Police officers said at least 40 rounds were fired, of which six hit the duo, leaving them dead. The incident took place at noon when Sandeep and Pawan were heading towards Dwarka court where Sandeep had to appear for a case.

“As soon as their car crossed a roundabout in front of a school in Bamnoli village, a car and a bike intercepted their vehicle and a masked man on the bike opened fire. Two men also got down from the car and shot at them. The assailants fired shots in the air and fled as soon as Sandeep and Pawan collapsed, bleeding profusely,” a senior police officer said.

The bullets hit the two in their face and the upper body. Passers-by called the police and both were rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead. A crime and forensics team was also called to collect samples and CCTV footages were examined, police said.

Deputy commissioner of police, Dwarka, Shibesh Singh, ruled out the possibility of a gang war behind the shooting and said the murders took place following a rivalry over a disputed land in Pochanpur village in Najafgarh. “The murder could be a result of a building built on a piece of 150 square yard land which, Sandeep wanted to take over. Some other men also had interest in the same property, whose name cannot be disclosed at this time since investigations are on,” Singh said.