Mangal (left) had a tent business while Joginder ran a garment business Two men were shot dead and their friend severely injured, in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity, in Outer Delhi’s Bakkarwala. Police said Joginder Kumar (41), Mangal Ram (60), and Mohan Lal (62) were at the former’s home when two unknown assailants broke in on Monday night, chased them and fired over half a dozen bullets before escaping.
Joginder and Mangal were rushed to a hospital by their families but were declared dead on arrival. Mohan is undergoing treatment at a hospital. Police claimed the accused had come to target another person in the locality but mistakenly entered the victim’s house.
No arrests have been made yet. Senior police officers said the assailants were sent by another person, who is also on the run, and that they are looking for the accused.
According to police, they received multiple PCR calls about the shooting around 9.15 pm. DCP (Outer) Sameer Sharma said, “Empty cartridges were found at Joginder’s house and on the street; a total of 9 were recovered. CCTV footage shows two men coming to the area around 9.05 pm. One of the assailants was wearing a black cap and the other sported a muffler. They entered the house and fired at the three men, who were sitting in a room. Lal ran to save his life while the others were shot dead… Within two-three minutes, the assailants are seen running back to the main road.”
Subscriber Only Stories
“During investigation, we found that a local had been receiving death threats and extortion calls from a gang over the last month. The assailants are connected to the gang. Their target was the local, but they fired at the victims assuming one of them was him,” added DCP Sharma.
Joginder ran a garment business while Mangal ran a tent business. Mohan, who works as an e-rickshaw driver, said he managed to escape and rushed home where his son, Rajesh, took him to a hospital. Recounting the incident, he said he and Mangal were at Joginder’s house when two men entered and asked about a man named Satish: “Joginder pointed at his deceased father’s photo and said his name was Satish. The assailants then took out their weapons and started firing. Joginder and Mangal collapsed.”
Joginder is survived by his wife, their two sons and a daughter.
Meanwhile, police suspect the accused are involved in another firing incident where a 48-year-old realtor, Amit Gupta, was shot at by two assailants on Tuesday afternoon in Burari. Police said he sustained multiple injuries. “Prima facie… there’s a connection between the two incidents. We are verifying details,” said an officer. Police said they have registered a case of attempt to murder.
Police said a case has been registered under sections of murder, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy and Arms Act.