Retired Navy man shot dead inside Dwarka apartment after altercation

A retired Indian Navy officer (55), who was into real estate business, was shot dead by a man following an altercation in the parking area on the ground floor of an apartment at Pochanpur in south-west Delhi’s Dwarka on Sunday night, the police said.

The victim, Balraj Deshwal, was shot in his face from a “very close range” and died on the spot.

The alleged accused, Pradeep Khokar, is absconding, said Santosh Kumar Meena, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (Dwarka), Delhi Police.

“Gehlan Apartment, where the murder took place, was constructed by Deshwal and his three business partners. Khokar had purchased one of the flats and was staying in Gehlan Apartment. We have learnt that Khokar was to pay an outstanding amount of Rs 5 lakh to Deshwal. It’s not yet clear whether the murder took place because of a dispute over the payment,” said DCP Meena.

The crime occurred place at around 8:30 pm, when Deshwal and one of his business partners were sitting in the parking space on the ground floor of the building. Khokar entered building while having an argument with a person over the phone, one of Deshwal’s partners told the police in his statement.

“One of Deshwal’s partners told us that Khokar looked angry and was abusing the person on the phone. Soon, Khokar disconnected the call and got into an altercation with Deshwal without any provocation. During the argument, he whipped out a pistol and fired at Deshwal’s face from a very close range. Deshwal died on the spot,” said the DCP.

Khokar fled the crime scene and Deshwal was rushed to an adjacent hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. A case of murder has been registered and teams have been formed to arrest Khokar.

“We have learnt that Khokar got a job as a teacher in Haryana. The information is
being verified,” added DCP Meena.