Shooters enter Noida society, kill 2 in car, flee

GREATER NOIDA: Two shooters got past security at a housing society where 2,000 families live in Noida Extension on Monday night, wandered around the compound looking for a black Tata Harrier, which they found in a surface parking area facing the perimeter wall, and sprayed bullets on two men in the front seat. The shooters then managed to escape through a different gate of the society – Ajnara Le Garden – once again evading security.

This was the third major crime in the past week in Noida, after the fatal attack by suspected carjackers on a BTech student in Sector 62 and the murder of a cabbie, allegedly by three passengers, in Dadri.
The victims of the Ajnara Le Garden shooting were identified as Dal Chand Sharma, who was from a political family in Faridabad, and Arun Tyagi, a resident of Bisrakh. They were attacked around 9.15pm.
While Sharma was hit seven times, Tyagi took two bullets in the chest. However, two others who were in the back seat were unhurt. Police said Sharma was the main target and Tyagi, who was sitting next to the other window, got hit because the shooters had taken position on either side of the front window.
Sharma and Tyagi were still breathing when a police team reached the spot. They died during treatment at Yatharth Hospital. The two persons in the car who were unhurt have been detained for questioning.
Sharma’s relatives have alleged that the murder was plotted by a rival family from their village. The two feuding families, police said, had seen several murders in the past few years in a long-standing dispute. Sharma had been to jail in connection with one of the murders and was living a low-key life in the Noida Extension society after being released on bail last year. He was running a property dealership and staying at Ajnara using his son’s name — Virat.
Harish Chander, DCP (central Noida), said political murders in the two families had started in 2011. “Sharma’s father was the village pradhan then. That year itself, Sharma’s brother and another relative had been killed in a similar manner. Eight persons were arrested in that case. Sharma himself had been to jail in 2017 for the murder of one of these eight persons,” the officer said.
Sharma’s family members reached Bisrakh police station after getting the news of his death and lodged a complaint, naming seven persons from the rival family. “They have been targeting us since 2011. My uncle knew he could be attacked. So, after his bail last year, he shifted to Noida and started a business here,” said Amar Bhardwaj, Sharma’s nephew.
Chander said the seven persons named in the complaint were prima facie not found to have any direct involvement in the murder. “However, they are very much under the purview of investigation,” the officer added. An FIR has been registered against unknown persons under sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. Till late on Tuesday evening, the police had not been able to make any arrests. “They seemed to be professional shooters. They fired the maximum bullets at Sharma. Only two bullets missed the target,” Chander said.
The police are scanning CCTV footage sourced from cameras in the society to identify the hitmen. The shooters, who appear to be in their twenties, can be seen entering the society on foot and wandering around for several minutes before finding Sharma’s car.
“They were firing from both sides of the car. Tyagi was not the target. He got hit in the firing,” said Munish Chauhan, the SHO of Bisrakh police station. The shooters can be seen in CCTV footage running towards gate no. 2 of the society, which opens into a construction site of the same project. As the area is not covered by CCTV cameras, it was not clear where the two fled.
Tyagi’s family supported the police theory, saying he had nothing to do with Sharma’s rivalry. “He was meeting him over some professional commitments. The police should investigate the case properly,” said Tyagi’s brother.
The builder denied any lapses in security, insisting that the guards are always on alert. But residents voiced alarm about lack of vigil. “Security at both gates has been a cause for concern. One or two guards are there, but they allow anybody to enter without seeking their details,” said a resident.