Police suspect gang war behind south Delhi gym owner's murder, four held
New Delhi (PTI): In a suspected case of gang war, a 35-year-old gym owner was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants in the posh Greater Kailash area of south Delhi, police said on Friday.
Four people have been arrested in this connection, they said.
"These four are suspected to have provided logistical support to the shooters. They are being further interrogated by a Special Cell team," a senior officer said.
The arrested accused have been identified as 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.
The officer said two more people were detained and questioned in connection with the case but the main shooter remained on the run.
The police also suspect the involvement of associates of jailed gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba in the murder.
Nadir Shah -- who previously had criminal cases, including extortion, robbery and attempted murder, against him -- co-owned a gym in Greater Kailash 1.
He would also lend money on very high interest rates, police sources said.
Shah owned a business in Dubai and was stated to be known to some Delhi police officials.
He is survived by his mother and two brothers. Shah's father hailed from Afghanistan and moved to Delhi several years ago.
At the time of the incident, some officials of the Delhi Police's Special Cell were present at the gym, where they had gone to meet an informer, a source said.
Shah was talking to a friend outside the gym when he was shot at around 10.44 pm, the police said.
CCTV camera footage purporting to show Shah talking to a person as an attacker walks towards him and fires a volley of bullets from close range later surfaced on social media.
The police suspect the attacker fled on a motorcycle with an associate, who was waiting for him.
Another police source said the background of the man Shah was talking to when he was attacked had been verified.
He told the police that he had come with a woman friend, who was sitting in his car at that time, the second source said.
Minutes after, a 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.
"Whoever will support our rival and trouble us will be shot like this," it added.
The post also mentioned the names of Lawrence Bishnoi's associates Godara, Goldy Brar, Gogi gang and Kala Rana gang.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan said they received information about the shooting at Greater Kailash 1 and one person being taken to Max Hospital. Personnel rushed to the spot and found bullet projectiles and empty cartridges.
Upon inquiry, it was found that Shah, a resident of CR Park, had suffered five bullet injuries, the police said.
"The attackers came on a two wheeler, fired at him and fled. He was immediately rushed to the hospital by his friends but was declared dead," Chauhan said.
The investigators are looking at all possible angles, he added.
The police suspect a case of rivalry but did not rule out the possibility of a gang war.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
