At the crime scene in Greater Noida’s Ajnara Le Garden, Tuesday; (left) victims Dalchandra Sharma and Arun Tyagi were property dealers. Gajendra YadavTwo property dealers were shot dead inside Greater Noida’s Ajnara housing society on Monday evening. Police said Dalchandra Sharma aka Virat (30) and Arun Tyagi (22) were sitting inside a car when armed men opened multiple rounds of fire. The two were rushed to a nearby hospital but died during treatment.
“We received information from locals that a shooting had taken place at Ajnara. Two men were found in a car with bullet injuries inside the compound. We have received complaints from the families of the victims. Prima-facie, it appears to be a case of personal enmity… Further investigation is on,” said Harish Chander, DCP Zone 2.
According to police, Dalchandra’s father had earlier served as sarpanch of Panhaida village in Haryana. Police said his family had rivalries with some locals post the panchayat elections, which led to his brother’s murder in 2011. In 2017, one of the accused who allegedly killed Dalchandra’s brother was murdered in Mathura.
Police said Dalchandra served a prison sentence in connection with the case and got out on bail in 2017-18. He was living under an alias in Noida’s Yakubpur and had set up a property business, with an office in Ajnara Le Garden, police said.
Arun’s family alleged he was killed for no fault of his. “Both Arun and Virat were friends as they were in the same business. He would usually get back home by 10 pm but he didn’t on Monday… he did not call us either. We were later informed by people in the area that there had been a shooting and police confirmed that Arun was one of the victims. If he wasn’t sitting in the car, he would have been alive,” said his uncle Anil Tyagi.
Residents of the society said they heard loud gunshots around 9 pm and rushed out. Initially, word spread that a guard had been shot. Security personnel and residents soon found a Tata Harrier car, with its side view mirror broken, and two men inside.
Eyewitnesses said the parking lot was filled with glass shards and there were bullet holes on the metallic doors as well. According to police, one of the victims was shot at least five times using a sophisticated automatic weapon with a 9 mm bore.
“It was terrifying because it happened inside the colony. What if there was someone else on their path? We could see it was a cold-blooded murder because the victims did not have any chance to move. Since then, the colony has been gripped with fear,” said C M Sharma, a resident.
According to society officials, the incident took place at H Tower behind Ajnara shopping complex. With a few towers still under construction, there is no manned gate next to the tower.
“It appears the accused managed to enter the society on foot from one of the gates next to the market, which was closed for maintenance. They carried out the shooting and escaped quickly as that spot is mostly desolate in the evening. We have submitted all possible evidence, including CCTV footage, to assist in the probe,” said a member of the management staff at Ajnara Le Garden.