NEW DELHI: Gangster Himanshu Bhau has claimed responsibility for the murder of a 30-year-old gym trainer in south Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri, with police verifying the authenticity of the social media post attributed to the gangster and probing whether the claim is linked to the killing.In a later post, purportedly by Bhau, the gangster issued a warning in Hindi, saying, “Bhagne se kam nahi chalega field me aao. Bhagne nahi dunga kisi ko (Running away won’t help, come out to the field. I won’t let anyone run away).” The post mentioned “Bhau gang” and “Since-2020”, the post read.The victim, Vijay Lohia of Fatehpur Beri, was shot dead after bike-borne assailants allegedly opened fire at him near Hansa Chowk around 10am on Monday. Police suspect the attack may be linked to an old rivalry between two families that has already claimed two lives.No arrest has been made so far. Deputy commissioner of police (south) Anant Mittal said a team rushed to the spot after receiving information about the firing. “Several rounds were fired by two suspects, resulting in one person sustaining fatal injuries and subsequently succumbing,” he said.According to police, an FIR was registered under BNS Section 103 (murder) at Fatehpuri Beri police station against unknown persons. Raids are being conducted to trace the suspects and teams have been formed to arrest them, Mittal said.Sources said the assailants were waiting outside the gym for Vijay. While some sources said four men were involved, police said only two men carried out the attack. The suspects were wearing helmets and were riding two motorcycles that allegedly had fake numberplates, a source said. “It appears they had been conducting reconnaissance for the past few days,” the source added.Vijay was called outside the gym on the pretext that someone wanted to speak to him. He was ambushed as soon as he stepped out, with the assailants allegedly firing around 12-15 rounds. Vijay suffered multiple injuries, including at least two to the head. He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.Vijay is survived by his wife, Ritu, 24.Police are also verifying the authenticity of the social media post attributed to Bhau, who is based abroad, and investigating whether the claim has any connection with the killing.
