69 shots fired, even a bulletproof jacket couldn’t save dairy owner: A tale of two revenge killings in this South Delhi locality

Arun Lohiya’s house is barely a kilometre away. The house is like a mansion. White Grecian pillars peek from behind the tall brick and barbed wire compound wall. There are no signs of life behind the windows, which remained dark even after evening fell. Two policemen are stationed outside.

Both houses have seen two murders in the span of a few months, allegedly at each other’s hands. Ratan and Arun were killed in a similar fashion — armed men intercepted them in broad daylight before shooting them dead.

In the early hours of November 30, Ratan (52), a dairy owner, was on his way to work when a Nissan Magnite car with five men intercepted him and opened fire. Though Ratan had on a bulletproof jacket — which, police said, the shooters appeared to be aware of — it did little to protect him from the hail of bullets. Police said the attackers fired as many as 72 rounds, with 69 finding their target.

Police said it took two doctors at Safdarjung Hospital two hours to remove the 69 bullets from his body, clothes and bulletproof jacket before they could conduct a post-mortem examination.

Behind the crimes, police said, is a deadly revenge plot that had been simmering even before the killings.

The spot where Arun was shot dead near Chhattarpur Metro Station on May 15 this year. (Express Photo)

Money dispute takes violent turn

Ratan’s son, Deepak, was in the dairy business with his father and also worked as a school van driver. After schools shut down during the 2020 Covid lockdown, Deepak lost his job.

“Arun and Deepak grew close around this time… Arun would hang out with common friends at the dairy… Deepak would join them during their hookah sessions,” said Deepika.

Knowing Deepak was out of a job, Arun asked him to join his real-estate business.

Ratan’s family alleged Deepak invested around Rs 25 lakh into the business and was promised a payout.

The family said Deepak asked for his share of the seed money back. “They would keep arguing over this… Arun would keep delaying it, saying Deepak’s money had been used up in setting up the business, spent on paperwork, or had been given to the person who would make land records… When Deepak persisted, it angered Arun,” alleged Kamlesh.

Things came to a head in April 2024. A gang of 15 people — allegedly Arun’s men — beat up Deepak, his family said. Deepak filed a complaint and an attempt to murder case was lodged against Arun.

The two families then approached their local panchayat to reach a settlement. “It asked Arun to seek Deepak’s forgiveness… but that hurt his ego,” alleged Kamlesh.

Then on May 15 this year, police said Arun was shot dead near Chhattarpur Metro Station — 7 km from Aya Nagar. He was in a Scorpio car, heading home from Saket Court with his father when he was intercepted by two-three assailants in a Maruti Alto. One of them signalled to the traffic to stop, while the other two knocked on Arun’s window and fired 10 rounds, killing him.

Police said they arrested Deepak and the two alleged shooters, Yogesh and Ajay. They also booked over a dozen people, including Deepak’s family members, for harbouring him.

Investigators said despite Deepak’s arrest, Arun’s family members were out for revenge.

‘Our lives are ruined’

Deepika alleged they had been receiving threats for over a year and after Arun’s murder, it became more frequent. The family claimed fellow villagers took care not to be seen with them to avoid a target on their backs as well.

As Ratan grew paranoid due to the threats, Deepika suggested he get a bulletproof jacket. “He used to tell me they (Arun) had an enmity with Deepak, not him. I pleaded with him to protect himself… He finally bought one (bulletproof jacket) from a retired Army man in Mehrauli, she claimed.

“He began wearing it every day when he would go to the dairy,” she said.

But it didn’t save him.

On the day of the murder, Deepika said, the shooters fired the first three shots, aiming at his head. “After that, they fired mindlessly to riddle his body with bullets,” she added.

Eyewitnesses told police the shooting lasted around four minutes — the assailants fired continuously at Ratan, changing magazines mid-assault to keep up the barrage.

On the day of Ratan’s cremation, police brought Deepak to the funeral site. “He didn’t say anything. He didn’t look at us. He just cried,” said Deepika. Later, on a phone call (from Tihar), he allegedly bemoaned his fate. “He said it was his fault our father died,” she said.

Both women remember Ratan as a soft-hearted, easy-going man who cared for his cows, his grandchildren and his YouTube channel, which had garnered a small following, where he sang bhajans.

He abhorred the direction his son’s life had taken; he had even disowned him months after Deepak was arrested for Arun’s murder.

“My father had nothing to do with this,” added Deepika, flashes of anger lighting her face. “He was so sick of the threats that he disowned Deepak. He even issued an advertisement in the newspaper. Why was he dragged into this mess? Now look at us. We have no man in the family, our lives are ruined.”

No one from Arun’s family was available for comment.

Role of gangsters?

Based on the nature of the attack, investigators suspect illegal foreign-made firearms, including Zigana and Beretta pistols, were used. Police also said this appeared to be the highest number of bullets ever fired at a single person in Delhi’s criminal history.

Police suspect it was Arun’s uncle, Kamal (40), who allegedly hatched the plot; they claimed to have identified him among the shooters from CCTV footage collected near the spot. Police said they identified two more shooters — Anuj Chaudhary and Narender.

No arrests have been made yet, however, the car used in Ratan’s murder has been recovered, police said. Arun’s father and cousins were questioned in connection with the case, police added.

According to police, Kamal, who is from Faridabad’s Tigaon village, faces at least eight criminal cases. Police suspect he paid money to shooters linked to the Randeep Bhati gang to execute the murder.

Police said Anuj alias Fighter, a resident of Ghaziabad, is facing half a dozen criminal cases, including murders, in Western Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested by the UP Police after a shootout in 2022, during which he was shot in the leg. After spending a few months in jail, he was released on bail. Police said Narender alias Neetu is from Faridabad.

Police are also looking into the possible involvement of US-based gangster Neeraj Faridpuria and the Himanshu Bhau gang in Ratan’s murder.

Police claimed their probe revealed Kamal and the other shooters sought help from the Bhati gang for shelter; their last known location was traced to Greater Noida. Teams of the Delhi Police Crime Branch, Special Cell, and the South District Special Staff have since conducted raids at several hideouts linked to the Bhati gang.

Meanwhile, police said they are looking into whether a bulletproof jacket can be procured and worn by a common man, which is only issued to security personnel.

According to a police officer, the one worn by Ratan was a lightweight level 2 bulletproof jacket which can stop .357 magnum bullets fired from handguns. But it is not enough to shield the wearer from 9 mm or .30 bore bullets fired from foreign-made pistols like Zigana or Beretta, said the officer. Of the 72 shots fired — 45 pierced Ratan’s body while 15-20 were stuck in his clothes, the officer further said.

Ratan’s family, meanwhile, has sent his younger son abroad, fearing for his safety. They, however, refused to take the blame for Arun’s murder. “Arun had many enemies,” said Deepika.

The women said they are the only ones left in the family and are living in constant fear. “I can’t sleep at night because every noise scares me… what if they break in and come for us?” said Kamlesh.

The gangsters under police scanner

Randeep Bhati: He is in jail in connection with the 2013 murder of a Samajwadi Party leader; he was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2023. A resident of Greater Noida, Bhati faces around 28 criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder, extortion, robbery, and illegal land grabbing in Western UP.

Neeraj Faridpuria: Hailing from Faridabad, he was known to Kamal and is Himanshu Bhau’s associate, said police. He faces around 25 criminal cases and is wanted in a murder of a Congress leader in Faridabad in 2019. He is holed up in the US, added police.

Himanshu Bhau: The gangster hit headlines after the June 18, 2024, shooting at a Burger King outlet in Rajouri Garden. According to sources, he currently runs his network virtually from the United States. Police records show he has over 20 cases against him — at least 16 related to murder and attempted murder.