Delhi gang war: 6 detained for Najafgarh shooting, no breakthrough yet

Those detained so far are either members of Kishan Pehalwan gang or Kapil Sangwan-Suraj Bhan gang. Both the groups are long-time rivals of jailed gangster Manjeet Mahal whose father was shot on Sunday.

At least six suspects have been detained on the suspicion of killing gangster Manjeet Mahal’s father in Najafgarh on Sunday even as police said they have already questioned over 100 persons in this connection.

The spot where Sri Kishan, 74, father of gangster Manjeet Mahal, was shot outside his house in Najafgarh’s Mitraon village on Sunday. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

However, almost 24 hours after the daylight murder of 74-year-old Shri Kishan, the police are yet to make a breakthrough in the incident that threatens to revive violence in the area. Over the last two decades, Najafgarh has witnessed dozens of murders in gang wars.

Kishan was shot outside his house in Najafgarh’s Mitraon village by four to five men in a Scorpio on Sunday morning. Mahal is currently in Tihar Jail after his arrest last December. Following the incident, the police have also decided to review the security threat to family members of major criminals of the area who are currently in jail.

The suspects detained so far are either Krishan Pehalwan’s men or belong to the Kapil Sangwan-Suraj Bhan gang, both long-time rivals of Manjeet Mahal.

Pehalwan’s role is being probed as the murder of his brother and former MLA Bharat Singh was allegedly masterminded by Manjeet Mahal two years ago. “Since Manjeet Mahal’s gang is seemingly weak because of his recent arrest, the Pehalwan gang may have seen it as an opportunity for revenge,” said a senior police officer explaining how Pehalwan was a suspect.

However, speaking to HT, Pehalwan had denied the role of his men in the incident and claimed that Mahal’s father was not his enemy and he did not consider him as one.

The Kapil Sangwan-Suraj Bhan gang is also under the police radar as Mahal and his associates had allegedly killed Bhan’s friend, Sunil aka Doctor, around a year ago. That time, their main target was Bhan, but he had escaped, police had said.

Though Bhan and his men had immediately struck back, killing the father of Mahal’s friend, Mantri, police believe the revenge was not over yet.

The police are also probing the role of smaller emerging gangs in the incident. “Since Mahal and many prominent gangsters in the area have been arrested in the recent months, striking against Mahal’s family could be their attempt to further dent his hold in the area,” said the officer.