Goons attack family in tiff over parking a car

An argument over parking a car at a public place in Bhamrauli village near Sector 10A turned ugly on Sunday night, with 30 persons breaking into the house of a former

An argument over parking a car at a public place in Bhamrauli village near Sector 10A turned ugly on Sunday night, with 30 persons breaking into the house of a former sarpanch and attacking the family, leaving five injured.

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The police said that a gang led by Akash Yadav alias Ashu, a repeat offender involved in more than 50 cases of murder, attempt to murder, assault, and extortion, was behind the attack.

Over the past decade, Yadav has been booked in many cases, most notably for shooting a classmate in a private school in 2007 and for allegedly murdering an acquaintance at the Sector 21 market in 2015. The police said that Yadav, a notorious gangster, runs an illegal water business in developing sectors. He had also spent three years in a juvenile observation home when he was a minor. Now 26, Yadav is out on bail and heads a gang, said police.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that the incident took place around 9pm when a villager, identified as Joginder Yadav, parked his SUV at the village entrance, near Yadav’s house. He was waiting for his cousins, when a group of men asked him to remove the car. “Joginder refused, saying that it was public property, following which the group of men allegedly started hitting him and his relatives,” he said.

The villagers immediately intervened and sent both the groups to their respective houses, but within a few minutes, Yadav, along with a few armed men, broke into Joginder’s house and started assaulting the family with sticks and rods. The police said that both the parties abused each other and the situation went out of control as Yadav shot around 30 rounds.

The incident was recorded by a local on his mobile and was also picked up by four CCTV cameras in the vicinity. “Yadav was holding a pistol and he, along with another man, his brother, father and mother, shot around 30 rounds out of which three hit two of our family. When we raised the alarm, they fled the spot,” said Neeraj Yadav, a victim.

Manoj Yadav (21) suffered a bullet injury, while Shamsher Singh, the former sarpanch, and his family members Sanesh Yadav, Parveen Yadav, and Sumit suffered head injuries and are admitted to a private hospital. Their condition is stable, the police said.

Yadav and his family members fled the village in three SUVs following the incident, the police said. A case under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 323 (assault), 452 (house trespass) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Arms Act was registered against four family members and unidentified men at the Sector 10 police station.

Sangwan said the attackers have been identified from CCTV footage at the spot and police teams are on the trail of the suspects.

Joginder Yadav, the complainant in the case, said that more than 30 goons are deployed at Yadav’s house, who often trouble villagers. “These men are often seen standing outside the house and balcony. They often pass lewd comments and we have, several times, complained to the father and mother of Yadav, but they do not pay any heed and situation is getting worse day by day. Women and young girls do not even use the stretch,” he said, adding that the family is now fearing for their lives. Many of them had left the village on Sunday night and returned after the panchayat held a meeting and assured their safety.

Yadav lives in a three-storey house, fitted with imported tiles inside and CCTV cameras outside. He has spent over Rs 3 crore on the construction, said villagers.

Manoj Yadav, a village resident, said that Yadav’s family backs him as they are dependent on him for money and that his younger brother, Sumit Yadav, is also a part of the gang. “He holds supremacy in the area, people are scared of him and often avoid him. He is always surrounded by goons and roams around openly loaded with arms,” he said.

The police recovered empty cartridges from the spot and said country made pistols were used in the incident.