Gym Co-Owner's Murder in Greater Kailash: Investigation Hands Over to Special Cell

Two days after a gym co-owner was killed in Greater Kailash, the Delhi Police's Special Cell is now handling the investigation. One more arrest brings the total number of detainees to five. The involvement of gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba is suspected.

Two days after a gym co-owner was shot dead in south Delhi's Greater Kailash area, the probe was handed over to the Delhi Police's Special Cell even as one more person was arrested in this connection, officials said on Saturday.

The arrest of Mohammad Sajid, a resident of northeast Delhi's Jaffrabad, takes the number of those arrested in this case to five.

Nadir Shah (35), a gym co-owner, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants in the posh Greater Kailash area late on Thursday.

Police had suspected the involvement of associates of jailed gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba in the murder.

A case was registered at Greater Kailash police station. On Saturday, the investigation was transferred to the Special Cell, the anti-terror unit of the Delhi Police.

A Special Cell team had on Friday arrested Nitalesh Tiwari, Vishal Verma and Akash Yadav of Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh, and Naveen Baliyan of Haryana's Sonipat. Two country-made pistols and eight live rounds were seized from them.

During the investigation, the police found that the murder was executed on the instructions of Sameer Baba, a close associate of Hashim Baba.

Shah is believed to have been an associate of Rohit Chaudhary, another gangster and a rival of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

The attackers had come on two vehicles -- two on a motorcycle and two in an autorickshaw. One of them fired several rounds at Shah before all four managed to escape.

On Saturday, the five accused were produced before a city court, which sent them to police custody for five days.

A senior police officer said two of the arrested accused were on the spot during the attack.

The police suspect that seven to eight people were involved in the murder.

Shah used to lend money to people at high interest. He also owned a business in Dubai and was said to have known to some Delhi Police officials. At the time of the incident, some officials of the Special Cell were present at the gym, where they had gone to meet an informer, a source had earlier said.

Minutes after the murder, a purported post was shared on a social media account claiming to be that of gangster Rohit Godara, taking responsibility for the shooting.

The post said the shooting was ordered by Sameer Baba, a jailed criminal, as Shah was causing troubling in his business.

It also mentioned the names of Lawrence Bishnoi's associates Godara, Goldy Brar, Gogi gang and Kala Rana gang.

(With inputs from agencies.)