Surgeon shot at in south Delhi, shoots back at his attackers
The surgeon, who was hit thrice in the abdomen, told police that he suspects the role of his brothers. He retaliated by firing at least 13 rounds from his licensed pistol.
A 65-year-old orthopaedic surgeon from the city was shot at thrice by unidentified men at his farmhouse in south Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri late Saturday night, police said. The men fired nearly two dozen bullets at the victim Hans U Nagar’s car.
The victim, Nagar, retaliated by firing at least 13 rounds from his licensed pistol and later told police that he believed that at least two of the three-four assailants were hit by his bullets.
Nagar has been admitted to a private hospital in Gurugram, where his condition is reported to be stable.
Nagar has told us that he suspects the role of his brothers behind the attack, said Romil Baaniya, deputy commissioner of police. “The three brothers were involved in a dispute over a property in Gurugram’s Berhampur village for the last decade. Multiple civil cases had been filed by the brothers against each other. We have called the two brothers for questioning,” said the DCP.
If the attack turns out to be over property, it would be the second such incident in three days involving families locked in property dispute resorting to violence. On Thursday night, two businessmen brothers and one other person were killed in a clash over parking in north Delhi.
Police said doctor Nagar practices at a prominent hospital in south Delhi and also runs his own clinic in Hauz Khas.
He is also a consultant at many hospitals in the city.
A son of an Indian army brigadier, the doctor owns a large farmhouse — ‘Nagar Estate’ — in Gadaipur in Fatehpur Beri. Two of his children are settled abroad.
His daughter, Tanu, told reporters that the attack happened around 11.30pm on Saturday when the doctor was returning home from work. He had driven his car into his property when he was suddenly attacked by three-four men who were waiting for him.
At the time of the incident, there was a security guard at the main entrance and a gardener who told police he was sleeping.
“The attackers appear to have entered the farmhouse through the surrounding jungles. They did not appear to have entered through the farmhouse’s main gate. They began firing at the car and my father used his licensed pistol to return fire,” said Tanu.
The car bore 16 bullet holes even as the walls, trees and the road at the crime spot were found riddled with bullet marks. The DCP said 22 empty cartridges and two live rounds were recovered from the spot.
“The retaliatory firing forced the assailants to flee, but not before they had pumped three bullets into the doctor’s abdomen. The victim remembers seeing one or two of the attackers being hit by his bullets. We have alerted the hospitals in Delhi-NCR to inform us if they come across any suspicious case of people with bullet injuries,” said an investigator.
Nagar, meanwhile, was rushed to a private hospital in Gurugram where his condition is “stable”.
“The doctor is conscious and has been able to speak to us. He has named his two brothers and four other persons for planning the attack. He would often carry a licensed pistol as he feared being attacked,” said the DCP.
The officer said that it was too early to determine whether Nagar’s suspicions were credible and that the priority was to identify and nab the persons who carried out the attack.
There were a total of four CCTV cameras near the crime spot. However, none captured the criminals who are believed to have come on motorcycles.
The police have registered a case of attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and under the Arms Act.