Moneylender plotted murder, allege kin

Julius Gomes / TNN / Sep 18, 2006, 00:59 IST

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Relatives and friends of the deceased alleged that a private moneylender based in Ballabhgarh had commissioned hitmen to kill Das.

NEW DELHI: Amarendra Nath Das, the 39-year-old man who was shot at on Saturday morning by unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants in Sarita Vihar — barely 500 metres from the area police station and Apollo Hospital — succumbed to his injuries after undergoing surgery later in the evening.
"The matter is under investigation," said Anil Shukla, deputy commissioner of police (south district), on Sunday.It is suspected that the shooters had escaped to western UP and senior police officials said a team of sleuths was closing in on them.
Relatives and friends of the deceased alleged that a private moneylender based in Ballabhgarh had commissioned hitmen to kill Das.
They claimed that Das had borrowed Rs 3.5 lakh from the moneylender a few years back, agreeing to pay interest at 10% per annum and also mortgaged his two-floor flat in Sarita Vihar.

Over the years, the principle amount had been repaid but the interest had allegedly accumulated to over Rs 5 lakh.
There had been several attempts to arrive at a settlement, the last meeting took place in the last week of August and Das had agreed to pay Rs 5 lakh in two equal monthly instalments, the first of which was due next week.
Das had managed to collect Rs 3 lakh in the past week, and was confident about raising the entire amount within a few more days.

The deceased's relatives claimed that the moneylender had come to know about this and since his real intention was to take over the flat, he decided to eliminate Das.
Efforts to contact the moneylender went in vain. His business associates said he had gone out of Delhi and could not be contacted.
Das's 36-year-old widow, Nipa, said: "Between 1995 and 2005 he ran his own printing business from Okhla, with the Rs 3.5 lakh he had borrowed.
In 2005, he suffered huge losses after a particular deal went sour and was forced to shut down the business. Since then the moneylender has been hounding us to vacate our home so that he can take possession. Several times he threatened my husband in the presence of our neighbours and some police personnel."
On Saturday morning, around 9.15, Das was on his way to his office in Naraina on his scooter. According to police, two unidentified men riding a motorcycle intercepted him as he turned into Mathura Road under the Sarita Vihar flyover and shot him once. The bullet passed through Das' side, critically damaging his liver.
Minutes later, one Adnan Khan, who was passing by, saw Das lying by the road in a pool of blood. Before losing consciousness, Das said to Khan that he knew who had shot him and requested that he be taken to hospital immediately. Khan stopped an autorickshaw, requested the lady inside to help and rushed Das to Apollo Hospital.

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