Property Dealer Shot Dead In Haryana: 4 Bullets Hit Him, 13 Shells Found

A property dealer was shot dead in Haryana's Gohana on Friday evening. Bijender Pehal sustained four bullet injuries, while 13 empty cartridges were recovered from the crime scene, officials said.

Hours later, a person identifying himself as Virender Charan claimed responsibility for Pehal's murder in a Facebook post. Claiming to be associated with the Arvind Gilli-Rana and Rohit Godara gang, Charan described the murder as revenge for an alleged attack on one of their associates in 2021.

Pehal runs Shivam Properties, a real estate firm on Rohtak Road. He had just left his office for home in the evening when the incident occurred.

Preliminary information suggests that the attackers were waiting for him outside his office. When Pehal approached his car to leave for home, the attackers opened indiscriminate fire at him. He sustained four bullet injuries and died in the attack. The assailants fled immediately after.

In his social media post, Charan alleged that Pehal had attacked their associate Rampal Baroda in 2021 and subsequently assaulted him again when he was returning from hospital after treatment. Claiming that the killing was an act of revenge, he warned several others of similar consequences.

The authenticity of the social media claim and the alleged gang connection are yet to be established. The police maintain that no gang link has been confirmed so far and that all possible angles are being investigated.

Pehal, who originally belonged to Ghumar village in the Ganaur area, had been living in Adarsh Nagar in Gohana for a considerable period and was engaged in the property business.

His murder has triggered panic in the area and prompted a massive police response. Police Commissioner Mamta Singh, along with senior officers, reached the crime scene after the murder. Teams from the Crime Branch, Special Task Force (STF), CIA and forensic experts were also deployed to collect evidence and investigate the murder.

The victim's body has been subsequently sent to the Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College in Khanpur for post-mortem examination.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Rajiv Kumar said that the motive behind the murder and the attackers' identities are yet to be ascertained. Multiple police teams have been formed to identify and arrest the accused, and efforts are underway to crack the case.

The targeted killing and the subsequent social media threat have once again raised concerns over the law-and-order situation in Haryana, particularly amid repeated incidents of shootings and alleged gang-related violence.