Man shot dead inside car; 18 rounds fired, gang rivalry suspected

Gurgaon: A 35-year-old man with a criminal record was found shot dead in his Maruti Swift near Sidhrawali bus stand in Pataudi on Monday morning, with his seat belt still fastened.Police said Deepak was attacked around 11pm on Sunday and was found in the driver’s seat with around 15 bullet injuries to his chest, neck, hands and feet. The exact number will be ascertained after autopsy. The assailants allegedly fired 18 rounds and police recovered 18 empty cartridges from outside the vehicle.Deepak had four criminal cases against him, including a 2016 murder, and was suspected to have links with slain gangster Ashok Rathi, who was killed in 2019. Investigators are examining whether the killing resulted from gang rivalry or an old personal enmity. The identity of the shooters, the motive and the exact sequence of events remain under investigation.Deepak, a resident of Sidhrawali, had left home after performing Diwali rituals with his family. He was heading towards Gurgaon-Delhi Expressway when the attackers opened fire near the village bus stand. After being hit, his car rammed into a divider, according to police.“It was around 7.45am that passersby noticed the car with bullet marks and a man lying unconscious in a pool of blood. We were informed about the incident around 8am, following which we immediately started our investigation,” Bilaspur station house officer Sunil Kumar said.According to the FIR registered at Bilaspur police station, Deepak’s uncle Prahlad Singh (65) received information around 8am on Monday that his nephew had been shot dead. He reached the spot with family members and found Deepak dead inside his car. In his complaint, Prahlad said Deepak had left home without telling the family where he was headed.A police officer said a large crowd had gathered by the time the police team reached the spot. The vehicle’s right-side glass was broken.“He had called me on Dhanteras saying that he would visit us soon after Diwali. We never imagined this would happen,” Gaurav Tak, his brother-in-law, told TOI.CCTV footage recovered by police shows one person approaching Deepak’s car while he was driving near the bus stand and opening fire at the vehicle. Investigators are examining whether more people were involved and if they arrived on a motorcycle or in a four-wheeler, police spokesperson Sandeep Turan said.A case was registered at Bilaspur police station on Monday under section 103(1) (murder) 3(5) (acts done with common intention) of BNS and 25(1-B)(a) of Arms Act. The investigation has been assigned to sub-inspector Mohammad Zahid. Several teams, including the crime branch, have been formed to identify and arrest the assailants.Deepak was suspected to have been involved in the 2016 murder of Rathi’s wife. Rathi had six murder cases and around 40 other criminal cases against him, including cases linked to the murders of his brother-in-law and mother-in-law, and the killing of his wife in 2016.Investigators are examining whether Deepak’s alleged association with Rathi and the old murder cases could have triggered the attack. The autopsy will be conducted on Tuesday.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Gurgaon | Silver Rate in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon | Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Petrol Price in Gurgaon | Diesel Price in Gurgaon | CNG Price in Gurgaon | LPG Price in GurgaonStay updated with the latest Gurgaon news. Download the TOI App.