A social media post purportedly issued in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the killing of 35-year-old businessman Vaibhav Gandhi in Delhi’s Bawana industrial area.
Police have formed multiple teams to verify the authenticity of the post and are probing organised crime and extortion links, with the Special Cell joining the investigation.
Gandhi was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants near his factory on Monday; CCTV footage and digital footprints of the accounts named in the post are being analysed.
On Tuesday, a social media post allegedly made in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the murder of a businessman who had been shot dead by gunmen in the Bawana industrial region here the day before.
Multiple teams have been formed to ascertain the authenticity of the post and track the assailants, while the scope of the probe has been widened to examine angles of extortion and organised crime links, police said.
The post from an account with the handle "Randeep Malik Anil Pandit" claims that the gangs of Hashim Baba, Jitender Gogi Maan, Kala Rana, and Lawrence Bishnoi carried out the murder.
Vaibhav Gandhi, the victim, was accused of "interfering" with the gangs' operations.
The message further stated in Hindi and English that this incident served as a warning that anyone who interferes with their operations will be removed without warning.
According to police, Gandhi, a 35-year-old plastic granules manufacturer, was shot and killed on Monday afternoon close to his Bawana plant.
He was carrying a laptop bag outside his factory when the incident occurred, at approximately 12:51 p.m. According to their preliminary investigation, three attackers on motorcycles came up to him and tried to take the bag.
"When the victim tried to escape, the assailants chased him for about 40 to 50 metres and fired multiple rounds. One bullet struck him in the chin, causing him to collapse," a senior police officer said.
The attackers fled the spot with the victim's belongings. Gandhi was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead, police said.
Multiple teams have been constituted to investigate the case. The teams are examining CCTV footage from the Bawana industrial area to identify the shooters and reconstruct their escape route, they said.
Police are also analysing the digital footprint of the social media accounts mentioned in the post -- Randeep Malik and Anil Pandit, USA -- to ascertain their origin and links to known gang members, officials said.
They said that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which has been connected to multiple murders nationwide, is the reason the Special Cell has been called in.
In one such instance, following an altercation in the Burari neighbourhood last month, Delhi Police detained two suspected gang shooters.
The duo was involved in firing at a gym in outer Delhi's Paschim Vihar and at the residence of a businessman in east Delhi as part of an extortion racket. Both accidents resulted in no injuries.
In a social media post shortly after the firings, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang took credit.
The message claims that Anil Pandit and the wanted criminal Randeep Malik were responsible for the firing.
