Real estate developer Deepak Bhardwaj, 62, was gunned down by three men at his farmhouse at Rajokri in South Delhi on Tuesday morning.
A property dispute is suspected to be the motive behind the murder.
Mr. Bhardwaj’s business interests include real estate, hospitality and education and his net worth is pegged at Rs. 619 crore, a figure he submitted while filing his papers as a Bahujan Samaj Party nominee for the Lok Sabha poll from West Delhi in 2009. He was the richest candidate in that general election.
It is said the assailants, who alighted from a silver-grey Skoda car at the farmhouse, ‘Nitesh Kunj’ or ‘The Nitesh’, located on a service road along National Highway 8, at 8.55 a.m., came there on the pretext of booking the venue for a marriage function. The 28-acre complex has several lawns and a banquet hall, besides a 40-room hotel, and is often hired to host theme-based marriage functions.
Allowing the vehicle to enter the premises, a staff member took the trio to Mr. Bhardwaj, who was at his office,” said a source.
The three engaged him in a conversation but soon an argument broke out. A little later, two of them took out firearms and pumped two bullets into Mr. Bhardwaj. Hearing the gunshots, one of the guards rushed in and raised an alarm. The guard was assaulted, it is alleged.
CCTV footage released in the evening showed two young men brandishing guns, threatening onlookers on their way out. One of them then opened the gate and the car made an exit. The two boarded the car soon after and drove away towards the Gurgaon toll plaza.
A profusely bleeding Bhardwaj was taken to the Army Research and Referral Hospital near Dhaula Kuan where he died. The body was moved to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for post mortem.
Forensic experts were called in and entry into the farmhouse was restricted to those known to the family of the realtor, who is survived by his wife and two married sons, both living in the capital.
While no arrests have been made so far, the police claim to have identified the accused. Suspecting that the assailants could have crossed over to Haryana, the Delhi police alerted the Gurgaon police.
