Gang war in focus after gym owner shot dead in Delhi’s Greater Kailash | Latest News Delhi

New Delhi: The activities of criminal gangs operating in the national capital came into sharp focus on Friday after police said a 35-year-old Afghan-origin man, who was gunned down the night before outside the gym he owned in South Delhi’s Greater Kailash-1 area, was killed by gangsters who suspected he was passing on information to law enforcement agencies.

The attackers fired 8-10 rounds from close range in what was believed to be a gang attack, just 300 metres from the GK1 police station.

Hours after the murder shook the posh neighbourhood, fugitive gangster Goldy Brar’s aide Rohit Godara claimed responsibility. The main shooter is still at large.

Two senior officers of the Special Cell New Delhi Range (anti-terror) confirmed that an assistant sub-inspector and two other policemen were at the Sharx Gym in E Block, GK-1 and even met the deceased. They were the first to take the victim to the hospital, they added.

“Shah was also a police informant,” said a senior police official from the southern district, who asked not to be named.

The audacious killing underscored the growing gang menace in Delhi and their frequent fights that spill over into the streets and public places. In July, a 32-year-old man was gunned down at GTB Hospital in North Delhi by members of the Hashim Baba gang. A month earlier, a 26-year-old man was shot dead at a Burger King outlet in West Delhi, allegedly by members of the Himanshu Bhau gang.

At 10.43pm on Thursday night, Shah, who ran businesses in Delhi and Dubai, was standing outside his gym when a man approached him and fired at point blank range. CCTV footage of the incident, seen by HT, showed the attacker firing eight to 10 bullets at Shah while the victim’s friend hid under his Mercedes car and later escaped. The attacker was accompanied by at least two men who were not seen in the video, police said.

“Shah was hit by four bullets and was taken to Max Hospital… The gym was open at that time and there were people inside. We received a call around 10.50 pm and reached the spot. We found some bullets, empty cartridges and bloodstains on the pavement outside Shah’s gym,” said Ankit Chauhan, deputy commissioner of police (south).

Hours later, Godara, who has links to gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar, claimed responsibility on social media.

“We got Nadir killed… Our brother in Tihar Jail, Baba, had sent a message saying that he (Shah) was conspiring with our enemies and was an obstacle to all our work. So we got him killed. Whoever conspired with us or our brother’s enemies… will pay the same price. All our enemies should be ready… we will see them soon. Wait and see…,” Godara posted on Facebook in Hindi.

Baba refers to Hashim Baba, an imprisoned gangster with ties to Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi.

According to an investigating officer, Shah was in touch with many police officers and allegedly leaked information about Godara-Bishnoi’s associate Hashim Baba to the police.

“It was a well-planned murder orchestrated from Tihar Jail. Baba sent his henchmen to kill Shah. They suspected him of leaking their private information and getting their men arrested. The accused followed Shah and nabbed him from his gym,” the officer said.

Police declined to name the two arrested men, but said the main shooter was still on the run. According to police records, Shah was facing six criminal cases filed between 2009 and 2018. In 2009, he allegedly fired at police officers in the Hauz Khas area.

According to police, Godara was in the US or Canada, where Brar is believed to be, and was responsible for the shooting at Canadian singer AP Dhillon’s home in Vancouver on September 1.

According to the police, three attackers came on a two-wheeler. One of the attackers went down to shoot at Shah and later they all fled on the two-wheeler.

Police said late in the evening that four people have been arrested in connection with the case, while the person who shot Shah was still on the run. Police identified the suspects as Akash Yadav (24) of Azamgarh; Naveen Baliyan (33) of Sonipat; Nitalesh Tiwari (20) of Kaptanganj and Vishal Varma (19) of Sultanpur Verehata, all in Uttar Pradesh. Two pistols were recovered from their possession.

Police said the arrested suspects, who were tasked to conduct a reconnaissance in the area, followed Shah and seized weapons and the bike used in the crime. They also helped the main shooter escape, police added.

Shah was a resident of CR Park area. According to police, he also had houses in East of Kailash, Bhogal and Faridabad. He was declared dead by doctors at the hospital, police said.

He is survived by his mother, wife and two brothers, one of whom is in Canada. Shah’s father, Zahir Shah, was from Afghanistan. He died of a heart attack in 2021.

Two senior officers of the Special Cell New Delhi Range (anti-terror) confirmed that three policemen were inside the gym when the suspect shot Shah and fled.

“The ASI was on his way to meet one of his parents who was admitted to a nearby hospital. He then got a call from an informant asking him to come to the gym. The ASI and his friends went there. They were inside when it all happened. In fact, they helped Shah and rushed him to the hospital. The ASI had gone there to inquire about another case…” a special cell officer said.

A second investigating officer said the two arrested men were at the scene when the shooting occurred. “They later helped him escape,” he added.

A second video from the scene showed three to four men running toward Shah and his friend after the shots were fired. Police said two of the men seen in the footage were special cell officers.

HT contacted Shah’s business partner and co-owner of Sharx Gym Akash Kanojia, but he refused to comment. The gym was sealed by the police on Friday.

“There was a guard here who saw Shah being killed. The suspect came and fired several shots. No one could do anything. Cars were passing by and there were people in the gym,” said Rajender Sharda, president of the GK M-block market association.

According to the police, the gang behind the incident was also involved in the murder of a 32-year-old man who was shot at the GTB hospital in July. According to the police, the suspects, members of the Hashim Baba gang, planned to kill a rival gangster but accidentally killed the victim who was admitted to the same ward.