A shopkeeper was shot dead and his wife and son critically injured after three bike-borne men allegedly fired at them outside their house in Mansarovar Park on Monday night. The family was shot at after they allegedly resisted a snatching bid.
The mother and son were injured while trying to prevent the fatal attack on Mukesh Singhal. The woman, identified as Sunita, is currently hospitalised.
Returning from shop
According to the police, the incident was reported around 10 p.m. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahadra District) Nupur Prasad said at the time of the incident, Mr. Singhal was returning from his shop with his son carrying some cash in a bag.
“As they reached the door of their house, Mr. Singhal, handed over the bag to his son Saurabh (17) and was locking his scooter when three men on a motorbike blocked their way and held Mr. Singhal at gunpoint,” said a senior police officer.
Fearing that the bag will be snatched, Mr. Singhal took it back from Saurabh and tried to throw it inside his house when the men opened fire.
The bag fell on the road even as Saurabh screamed for help. His mother, Sunita, heard his calls for help and picked up a floor wipe to confront the men, but they shot at her too. The robbers managed to pick up the bag and flee before neighbours gathered.
CCTV shows suspects
Initial probe has revealed that the bag contained ₹25,000. The police said a personal or business rivalry could not be ruled out.
The victims were rushed to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital where Mr. Singhal was declared dead on arrival. Sunita underwent a surgery and has been kept under obeservation while Saurabh was discharged after treatment.
Family members said Singhal owned a shop that sells cool drinks near Ashok Nagar in Mandoli and usually returned with the sale proceeds of the week to deposit in the bank. The police said that suspects are visible in CCTV footage recovered from the area.