Man, 55, shot dead on morning walk in South Delhi

Malviya Nagar police team rushed to Begumpur park and learnt that a morning walker was shot dead by two unidentified men.

A 55-year-old property dealer, out on a morning walk in south Delhi’s Begumpur area, was killed on Friday after two unidentified men attacked him with a cricket bat and then shot him in a park.

South Delhi: 55-year-old assaulted, shot dead on morning walk(Hindustan Times File)

According to police, the victim, Lakhpat Singh Kataria alias Lucky Kataria, was taken to the hospital after the attack, where he succumbed to his injuries. Kataria was a resident of Begumpur.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Ankit Chauhan said that at 9.53am, Malviya Nagar police station received a call regarding firing near Vijay Mandal Park in Begampur. A police team rushed to the park and learnt that a morning walker was shot dead by two unidentified men.

“Kataria was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre in conscious condition. Later, he succumbed to the bullet injuries during treatment. As per the preliminary investigation, two persons attacked Kataria with a bat and then fired three bullets at him before fleeing the scene on a motorcycle,” DCP Chauhan said.

Investigators said they are probing the case from various angles, including personal enmity and property dispute. Kataria’s family members told police he had a heated altercation with a group of people in the nearby slums over encroachment. Police said they believe it was a planned murder because the attackers first purchased the bat from a shop near the park and then waited inside the park for Kataria to come.

Family members also claimed Kataria had affiliations with the Congress.

The guard who was present there at the time of the attack told another guard Devendra Singh that when Kataria entered the park for the morning walk, two men approached him and began assaulting him with a bat and then shot him.

“The guard on duty told me that three bullets were fired at Lucky Kataria, who came daily for a morning walk. The crime happened around 9.30am,” Devendra said.

Prem Singh, Kataria’s brother-in-law, also suspected that the murder was related to the fight with the residents of Indira Camp over encroachment.

Another relative CP Soni, who identified himself as a national coordinator in the Congress party, said Kataria was an active party member for the past many years. “The murder of a Congress party worker in south Delhi during daylight speaks volumes about the city’s law and order and shows that there is no fear of police. They have not been able to nab the killers,” he said.

Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) former legislator Somnath Bharti also expressed concern over the crime.

“Now morning walk is also not safe in Delhi? This park is visited by thousands everyday. I had requested @official_dda after the last murder to protect the entry gates of the park but nothing happened. DDA and @DelhiPolice police are under @BJP4India for 11 years and now @DelhiGovDigital and @MCD_Delhi also are with @BJP4India, if even now Delhi can’t be secured qua crime then what more power BJP is to be given? Delhi is becoming worse in crime with every passing day!” Bharti posted on X.

The 46-acre Vijay Mandal Park, which is managed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), is generally bustling with crowd, including morning and evening walkers. This is the second murder that took place inside the park since July 2023, when a 22-year-old woman was bludgeoned to death with an iron rod allegedly by her 28-year-old cousin for turning down his marriage proposal.