The family said the brothers managed several properties in Model Town. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)
A gun and a kirpan were out during a fight over parking in Model Town, which ended in the death of three members of a family, including two brothers, on Thursday night.
Police said tension had been brewing between the two brothers over a property dispute, and the fight over parking was the final straw. Even three months ago, cross-FIRs had been registered after a fight broke out between the two brothers, the family claimed.
The dead have been identified as Jaspal (52), his wife Prabhjot (45) and younger brother Gurjeet (48). Gurjeet’s son Jagnoo (24) was injured. Vicky and Pawan Kumar, two personal security officers hired by Gurjeet, have been arrested under IPC Section 302 and the Arms Act, DCP (northwest) Aslam Khan said, adding that a licenced pistol and four cartridges had been seized from them.
Police said both brothers managed several properties in Model Town — including the Great Wall restaurant, which was managed by Gurjeet. The family said Gurjeet had hired the PSOs after fights broke out at the restaurant a few months ago.
On Thursday night, Jaspal was taking out his Audi to drop off a friend. He was accompanied by his wife. At the same time, Gurjeet arrived in his Endeavour with Jagnoo and the two PSOs.
The two argued over parking. At one point, Jaspal drove the vehicle over Gurjeet’s foot, DCP Khan said. This prompted Gurjeet to start hitting Jaspal’s Audi.
In the ensuing confrontation, Jaspal took a kirpan and stabbed Gurjeet in the stomach. “He saw three-four people with Gurjeet and panicked,” said Satnam (58), the eldest of the three brothers.
Gurjeet collapsed at the spot, and the two PSOs allegedly fired at the couple. Prabhjot, who tried to shield her husband, was shot in the head. Jaspal then tried to flee but was shot twice in the back. Bleeding, he managed to enter a neighbour’s house and slumped on a swing inside.
Prabhjot’s daughter Haripriya said she heard gunshots and rushed outside. She called PCR and asked a passerby take the victims to the hospital. “It was all over in two minutes. I reached the local hospital where Prabhjot had been taken… her head was blown off. Gurjeet was taken to Fortis hospital, but no one knew where Jaspal was,” said Raji, Jaspal and Gurjeet’s sister.
Meanwhile, the PCR van that reached the crime scene followed a bloody trail — to find Jaspal dead on the swing.