Man ropes in son before 18th b’day to kill rival, held in Malviya Nagar

The victim, identified as Lakhpat Singh, was attacked with a cricket bat and shot with a countrymade pistol during his morning walk inside Vijay Mandal Park, Begumpur, around 6.30am.

A father-son duo has been apprehended for allegedly murdering a 56-year-old property dealer in Malviya Nagar on Friday, with police saying the father roped in his minor son to execute the attack a day before the boy’s 18th birthday in order to exploit a loophole of his juvenile status.

Investigators scanned footage from more than 650 CCTV cameras across a 55-km route to identify the assailants, who were seen waiting outside the park on a motorcycle with its number plate removed and their faces covered.

The victim, identified as Lakhpat Singh, a resident of Begumpur, was attacked with a cricket bat and shot with a countrymade pistol during his morning walk inside Vijay Mandal Park, Begumpur, around 6.30am. “He was found in a pool of blood with multiple penetrating injuries. He was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre where doctors declared him dead on arrival,” said deputy commissioner of police (South) Ankit Chauhan.

Police said the duo meticulously tracked Singh’s routine before confronting him. “The accused deliberately chose the day before his son’s 18th birthday to execute the plan, hoping to shield him under juvenile laws. He instigated his son, who had been tracking the victim’s morning routine for days, to join him,” Chauhan said.

Investigators scanned footage from more than 650 CCTV cameras across a 55-km route to identify the assailants, who were seen waiting outside the park on a black Hero Splendor motorcycle with its number plate removed and their faces covered. Singh was chased inside and attacked.