NEW DELHI: A bloody rivalry in south Delhi’s Aya Nagar is once again under the police scanner after a gym trainer was shot dead in broad daylight on Monday, with investigators examining whether his killing is connected to two earlier murders that allegedly grew out of the same bitter feud.Vijay Kumar was inside a gym near Hansa Chowk in the Fatehpur Beri area when some men allegedly called him outside. Two bike-borne assailants then opened fire at him at around 10 am, police and his family said. Around 15 rounds were fired.Vijay suffered multiple gunshot injuries and later died. Police suspect personal enmity as the immediate motive and have formed multiple teams to identify and arrest the attackers.But investigators are also probing a possible link with a longstanding rivalry between families in Aya Nagar — a feud that has already been associated with deadly violence in the area.Three killings, one suspected trailThe latest shooting follows the murder of dairy businessman Ratan Lohia, who was shot dead in Aya Nagar in November 2025 in a meticulously planned attack.According to a December 2025 report, 69 bullets were found inside Ratan’s body and more than 70 rounds were allegedly fired during the ambush. The shooters were suspected to have travelled from Faridabad and waited in the area for nearly half an hour after conducting reconnaissance.Police were investigating whether Ratan’s murder was linked to a family feud and a land dispute. His family had alleged that the killing was carried out to avenge the death of Arun, a 24-year-old man who had been shot dead earlier.That murder became another major chapter in the Aya Nagar violence.In May 2026, businessman Arun Lohia was fatally shot inside his SUV near Chhatarpur Metro Station while travelling with his father Rambir Lohia. Two men approached the vehicle when it was stuck in traffic and opened fire.Police later arrested alleged shooters Deepak and Yogesh following an encounter, while a third accused, Ajay, was also arrested. Investigators said the murder stemmed from a long-running property dispute that had turned violent.Police said the dispute had escalated the previous year and involved criminal cases.One of the alleged attackers had also been injured during an earlier confrontation, after which a complaint was filed and a panchayat meeting was held to settle the matter.Now, another bodyAs per a PTI report, Monday’s killing of Vijay Kumar has brought the suspected rivalry back into focus.His uncle Devendra alleged that the attackers knew Vijay was inside the gym and called him outside, apparently to avoid the CCTV cameras inside the premises.Vijay’s sister Sudha said he had no personal dispute with anyone and was focused on his work as a gym trainer. She alleged that his only connection to the feud was his friendship with a member of one of the families involved in the rivalry.Vijay’s wife Ritu also said he had nothing to do with the dispute and had even been warned to stay away from the families involved.“My husband used to wake up at 4:45 am and leave for the gym around 5 am every day. There has been a rivalry between two families in the village. I had even asked my husband to keep his distance from them. But today, they killed my husband. He was innocent and had nothing to do with the rivalry. He was shot dead because of a dispute between others,” she said.Police have not officially established a direct connection between Vijay’s killing, Ratan Lohia’s murder and Arun Lohia’s killing. However, officials are examining whether the three incidents form part of the same cycle of personal rivalry and property-related violence.With multiple teams now conducting raids, investigators are looking at the old feud, past criminal cases, possible revenge motives and the links between the people involved.(With agency inputs)
