The Times of India
written by Staff
Wednesday March 27, 2013 at 02.38 AM IST
NEW DELHI - Deepak Bhardwaj, 62, who made his fortune in land deals to acquire assets worth over Rs 600 crore and become Delhi's richest candidate in the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, was on Tuesday morning shot dead at his sprawling Rajokri farmhouse. The BSP leader was killed within minutes on his lawn when two men - a third was in the getaway car, a Skoda - pumped bullets into his head and chest after approaching him on the pretext of confirming a booking at the 28-acre venue for weddings, conventions and other events.
The attackers then fled, with two men running out of the farmhouse, Nitesh Kunj, brandishing guns and a third person driving the car.
Though Bhardwaj had two PSOs, both arrived only at around 10am. He had a licensed gun but was not carrying it as he was taking a walk. The police suspect that someone may have tipped off the killers about the best time to strike.
The killers entered the premises at 8.55am and left at 9.15am. Bhardwaj suffered two bullet injuries in his head and chest and was declared dead at the Army R&R Hospital.
The farmhouse at which Deepak Bhardwaj was murdered is located near 22nd milestone on NH-8, close to the Gurgaon toll plaza. It's spread over 28 acres and has four lawns with banquets and other structures. It was promoted as a hospitality hub. Bhardwaj also owned a school, was planning a university, had set up a township and wanted to build more hotels.
While the CCTV footage can help the police track down the killers, the registration number - DL 3 CA 7062 - as provided by the guard turned out to be that of a Maruti van. The number, as seen in the CCTV footage, is not clear. The police suspect an acquaintance to be behind the murder and the motive could be personal enmity. However, the precision with which the killing was executed, meeting with little resistance, has led the police to believe that contract killers had been hired for the job.
Several family members, relatives, staffers and visitors have been questioned. The call detail records of the family members, including Bhardwaj's wife, Mukesh Kumari Bhardwaj, are being scanned. His wife used to live in Dwarka with their younger son, Nitesh. The cops have also come across a more than 70-minute long conversation between Bhardwaj and a builder in Hardwar who apparently owed money to him.
After a brief conversation with the guard - as seen in the CCTV footage - the men had crossed the driveway and reached behind the lawns adjacent to the complex where Bhardwaj lived. Two of the men walked up to Bhardwaj, who was taking a stroll in the lawn, and struck up a conversation. A third man kept the ignition on and was at the steering wheel of the dark grey Skoda throughout. After a few minutes, one of men took out a pistol and fired at Bhardwaj. Another shot hit him in the head. Then within minutes they made their dramatic escape towards Gurgaon after pushing open the gates themselves.
A PCR call was made around 9.26am and got a prompt response but Bhardwaj's life could not be saved. His body has been sent to the AIIMS Trauma Centre mortuary for postmortem which will probably be conducted on Wednesday in the presence of his family members.
"I met his distraught wife and son. They said he had been shot in the morning. He was a good friend of mine and I am not aware of his enmity with anyone," said a family friend, Swami Anand Maharaj.
Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar told reporters at a function at a hotel that they were analyzing the CCTV footage to get to the shooters. "We have the video footage of that car, the people who came and other clues. I hope we will solve this case very soon. There are many angles - his wife and son stay away from him in Dwarka," he said.
Special Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) Deepak Mishra told TOI that all angles, including personal enmity, were being explored and several teams have been formed to crack the case.
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