New Delhi

Delhi dealer on morning walk shot dead

– PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

TRAGIC TRAIL: A hush pervades the residence of Jai Bhagwan Gupta soon after his murder on Friday morning.

NEW DELHI: A 55-year-old wholesale dealer in cumin seeds was shot dead in cold blood by some unidentified assailants while he was returning home after a morning walk at Model Town here on Friday.

Jai Bhagwan Gupta, a resident of C-12 in the posh C. C. Colony, was walking back home when the armed assailants accosted him near the local market, pumped a bullet into his chest, and fled. Mr. Gupta, a diabetic, collapsed on the road.

“We came to know about the tragic incident through a newspaper vendor who informed us that Mr. Gupta was lying unconscious on the road near the market. He was rushed by the police to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital where he was declared brought dead,” said the victim’s elder brother, Shri Bhagwan Gupta, recounting the sequence of events.

“He was hit by a car a few days ago when he had gone out for a morning walk. He injured his leg and arms in that accident. We dismissed it as a mere accident and did not report the matter to the police. Now it appears that it was perhaps an attempt on his life. As the assailants could not succeed then, they shot him dead today,” said Shri Bhagwan.

According to the police, several unconfirmed versions of the incident were doing the rounds and the exact number of assailants was not known as there were no eyewitnesses. “Prima facie it appears to be a case of personal enmity,” said the police, ruling out robbery or property dispute as the possible motive for the murder.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a close relative of the deceased said he had apparently been murdered over some financial dispute.

“Being a prosperous businessman, he used to lend huge sums of money on interest to people. He could have been a victim of a dispute stemming from one such financial transaction. His eldest son Kamesh Gupta was kidnapped from outside his in-laws’ house and killed for similar reasons a few years ago. Kamesh’s body was found inside his car in Himachal Pradesh,” recalled the relative. Mr. Gupta’s first wife reportedly had committed suicide by setting herself afire a decade ago allegedly following differences with her husband.

Mr. Gupta, who is survived by his second wife, son and daughter, was remembered by his neighbours as a religious soul. “He was very co-operative, soft-spoken and a good neighbour. He began his day feeding cows, monkeys and stray dogs. He has got several temples built and donated lakhs of rupees for religious causes,” said Kamal Kaushik, a retired bank officer who lives nextdoor.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu