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Journalism of Courage
The usual calm of Vijay Mandal Park in South Delhi’s Begumpur, where residents start their days with a morning walk, gave way to violence on Friday when Lakhpat Kataria (56), a local Congress worker, was chased across the park, thrashed with a cricket bat and then shot dead. For many, it was a brutal end to a familiar presence.
On Sunday, police said the killing was not politically motivated. It was an alleged outcome of nearly a decade-old property dispute when Kataria had locked horns with a neighbour. Officers said the accused was allegedly beaten by Kataria, a property dealer, and his associates in 2016 after he refused to sell his house. The man has been arrested, and his son has been apprehended.
Back in 2016, the accused had filed a police complaint, which read, “Dharmendra (Kataria’s younger brother) called me and took me to his office where Lakhpat was already sitting in the office…(they) started telling me to bring the land papers of (my) house to get it reconstructed. Upon refusal, Lakhpat called someone. Meanwhile, Dharmendra and three others entered the office…Dharmendra hit me hard on my head with some sharp object and when I defended myself, I suffered injury on my hand. Lakhpat hit me with a stick kept in the office and another man targeted my legs with a baseball bat, due to which I fell on the ground. Two others pressed my neck from behind…”
The accused had, at the time, said that he eventually had to be taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where the police recorded his statement. The assault left him bedridden for nine months, he alleged.
Dharmendra had also lodged a counter complaint. He claimed that the man, his two brothers and his nephew allegedly barged into Kataria’s office and threatened to kill him.
“On January 8, 2016, four men forcefully entered the office…and threatened the undersigned to pay Rs, 1,00,000 for carrying out the construction and threatened that no construction would be carried out without their permission. When the undersigned refused to pay the money to them, they attacked him to kill (him) but somehow the undersigned escaped from their clutches to save his life and loudly cried for help…The above said accused persons extended the threats to kill the undersigned,” read his complaint.
Later, an agreement was reached after the accused was allegedly pressured to settle the matter through local mediators. The humiliation and fury cut even deeper after that.
Over the years, said police, the bitterness festered into a grudge that hardened into a plan. The accused spoke about his suffering to his son, and in doing so, police said, planted in him the desire to take revenge for the wrongs that had been done to his father. The accused was also not shy of committing crimes. He had been booked in 2006 and 2012 for three different cases, which included an attempt to commit culpable homicide, voluntarily causing hurt, and criminal intimidation.
The murder plot, investigators believe, was shaped carefully. Officers said the accused timed it to fall a day before his son’s 18th birthday, ensuring he would still be tried under juvenile law.
“Being well aware of the daily morning-walk routine of the deceased, he deputised his minor son a few days earlier to conduct recce of his movements. Based on this surveillance, the plan was finalised to execute the murder during the victim’s morning walk. On the day of the incident, the accused and his minor son, with faces covered, reached the spot on a motorcycle without a number plate and executed the murder of Lakhpat Kataria inside the park,” said DCP South Ankit Chauhan.
With no number plate to track, officers had to sift through the footage of more than 650 CCTV cameras across a 55-km stretch, pore over call records and retrace blurred images of the getaway route.
“The direction of travel and CCTV observations pointed towards the involvement of the accused. Through combined CCTV footage and CDR (call detail record) analysis, his involvement was established beyond doubt, considering his past enmity with the deceased. His mobile phone was also found switched off during the relevant period. Based on technical surveillance, one minor boy was apprehended, leading to the arrest of his father as well,” said DCP Chauhan.
During questioning, police said, the accused allegedly admitted he had never forgiven Kataria. “This was about settling old scores,” an officer said. The pistol used in the crime has been recovered, and both father and son are now in custody. As their questioning continues, police are now investigating whether a larger conspiracy was in place to get Kataria murdered and whether more people are involved in the case.
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