Delhi: After car showroom shooting, gangsters target hotel, sweets shop

Hours after a shooting at a second-hand luxury car showroom in the national capital, two more similar incidents were reported, police said on Saturday (September 29).

While some unidentified shooters targeted a hotel at south Delhi's Mahipalpur area early Saturday, some assailants opened fire at a sweets shop in Sultanpur Mor in Nangloi later.

No one was injured in the three firing incidents but it raises several questions on the law and order situation in the national capital. In the past few months, the cases of extortion calls and shooting on the direction of foreign based gangsters continue to trouble Delhi's businessmen, police sources said.

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According to a police officer, around 9.30 am on Saturday, two men with their faces covered came on a bike and opened three to four rounds of fire at 'Roshan Halwai'. No one was injured in the incident but there were some shattered glasses in the shop.

Police suspect the shooting was related to protection money of some gangsters.

After the firing at the sweets shop, a note with "Deepak Boxer Bhai, Ankesh Lakra Bhai and Vishal Bhai" --the names of gangsters -- written on it, police said.

CCTV footage has been collected and a probe was underway, they said.

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Around 2.30 am, two men came on a motorcycle and fired around five to six bullets at the main entrance gate of Impress Hotel in south Delhi.

Similar to the Mahipalpur incident, no one was injured in the incident but some glasses were damaged, police said.

Hotel staff and some guests were present in their rooms when the incident took place. Police has initiated a probe into the case.

The hotel's receptionist, Khalida told PTI Video that she was not present during the firing as her shift started in the morning.

She added, "They did not target anyone but they opened fire at the gate. Five to six rounds were fired they and fled," Khalida said.

On Friday night, three men opened fire at a second hand luxury car show room in Naraina in West Delhi. In this case also, no one was injured but the attackers targeted the cars in the showroom.

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Sources said it was an extortion bid by the Himanshu Bhau gang and a slip reading "Himanshu bhau since 2020" was recovered from the spot.

The gangster has demanded Rs 5 crore from the owner of the car showroom as protection money, they said.

According to police, the assailants fired more than two dozen bullets inside and outside the showroom.

In a purported CCTV footage of the incident which was surfaced on social media on Saturday, three men are seen firing at the cars in the showroom.

In the video, a shooter is also seen pointing his gun at a customer and employee sitting inside the showroom.

According to the Delhi Police's recent statistics, accessed exclusively by PTI, a total of 133 extortion cases were reported from across the national capital this year, till August 15.

A total of 141 such cases were reported in the same period last year. At least 110 extortion cases were registered in the corresponding period in 2022, according to the statistics.

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At least 204 cases of extortion were reported throughout 2023 and 187 in 2022.

The sources said police have identified 11 gangs involved in making extortion calls, threatening businessmen, shootings and killings in the National Capital Region in the last few months.

The police commissioner had directed the officers to curb the activities of these gangs by invoking the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act and other stringent local laws wherever applicable. The MCOCA is also applicable in Delhi.

But these gangs continue to trouble Delhi's businessmen, the sources added.

(With agency inputs)