New Delhi, March 19 A 30-year-old man was shot dead and three others, including his father and an eight-year-old boy, were injured when three assailants opened fire inside a shop attached to their house in outer north Delhi's Bawana on Thursday evening, police said.
Officials said they suspected gang rivalry behind the attack.
Police said they received two PCR calls around 5:26 pm informing them about the firing incident in Harewali village. The callers said three men who arrived on a motorcycle had shot at their family member Ravi Bhardwaj, and they were rushing him to a hospital in Pooth Khurd.
A police team, along with senior officers, rushed to the spot as well as the hospital.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami, during preliminary enquiry, police were told that three men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire, specifically targeting Ravi.
Ravi was taken to MV Hospital in Pooth Khurd, where he was declared dead. His body has been preserved at the BSA Hospital mortuary.
DCP Swami said empty cartridges were recovered from the scene.
He said three more people were injured in the firing -- Ravi's father Anil Bhardwaj (55), neighbour Raj Kumar (46), and an eight-year-old boy who is a relative of the deceased.
Raj Kumar had come to the shop below the victim's residence at the time of the incident, police said.
A case has been registered at the Bawana police station under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (criminal act by several persons with a common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Arms Act.
Specialised teams have been formed to analyse CCTV footage and trace the movement of the accused, who are suspected to have fled towards the Haryana side, officials said.
According to relatives, the attackers appeared to be aged between 18 and 20 years; they fled immediately after the shooting.
"They came to the shop posing as customers. As soon as they reached the counter, they pulled out revolvers and fired about 15 to 20 rounds in a quick succession," said Hariom, a relative, adding that Ravi was sitting at the counter when he was shot at.
Another relative said the family had no known enmity with anyone in the village. "Ravi was well-behaved and ran a small shop, besides earning through farming and selling milk. He had no disputes with anyone," the relative said.
Police said the nature of the attack suggests a possible gang rivalry, though the exact motive is yet to be established.