A wine shop owner was shot dead and robbed near his store in Goregaon on Sunday night. The Vanrai police have initiated investigations into the case.
According to the Vanrai police, the deceased, Sajni Singh Chawla (47), was a resident of Bangur Nagar in Goregaon and ran a shop called Goregaon Wines near the Virani Industries building in Goregaon East. The police said he was was walking towards his car, parked a short distance away from his store, after shutting shop at around 10.45 pm when the incident occurred.
“Chawla's manager and an employee were walking a short distance behind him, and according to their statement, two masked men came up to him, shot him and fled with his bag, which contained the day's earnings,” Senior Police Inspector Jyotsna Rasam, Vanrai police station said.
The manager and the employee subsequently flagged down a patroling unit of the Vanrai police, which was passing by, and sought help. Chawla was taken to the Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari and was later shifted to the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri, where he died during the course of treatment, police said.
“Chawla's bag contained around Rs. 4 lakh in cash, although the exact amount is being ascertained. It is too early to say if this was premeditated or a crime of opportunity. Chawla was shot once between his left ear and eye with what we believe to be a country-made gun,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr. Vinay Kumar Rathod, Zone XII, said.
A small crowd gathered near Chawla's shop on Monday morning after learning about his murder. “We didn't know much about his life but, as I work in the same area, I would exchange greetings with him on a daily basis,” Imran Sharma, a local taxi driver, said.
The police have registered a case of murder and robbery against unidentified persons under the IPC and relevant sections of the Arms Act. Inquiries are under way among repeat offenders with a history of armed robbery to find out if any of them might be behind the offence, while the police are also checking footage from Closed Circuit Television cameras in the area to try and trace the movements of the two accused.
Prima facie, the police suspect the duo kept a watch on the store to ascertain Chawla’s usual time of shutting shop, and sources said the possibility of insider involvement cannot be ruled out at this stage.