A brutal cycle of revenge in a South Delhi locality has culminated in a shocking daylight murder where a dairy owner was shot 69 times, with a bulletproof jacket offering no protection against the hail of bullets. The killings of Arun Lohiya and Ratan Lohiya, months apart, have exposed a deadly feud rooted in a financial dispute, now potentially entangled with notorious gangsters.
The Daylight Executions: A Tale of Two Murders
The violence erupted in the early hours of November 30, 2025. Ratan Lohiya, 52, was on his way to his dairy in Aya Nagar when a Nissan Magnite car with five men intercepted him. The assailants opened fire in a sustained attack. Police investigations revealed that a staggering 72 rounds were fired, with 69 bullets hitting Ratan. Despite wearing a bulletproof jacket—a fact the attackers seemed aware of—it failed to save him. Doctors at Safdarjung Hospital took two hours to extract all 69 bullets from his body, clothes, and the jacket before a post-mortem could begin.
This murder was allegedly an act of retaliation for an earlier killing. On May 15, 2025, Arun Lohiya was shot dead near Chhattarpur Metro Station, 7 km from Aya Nagar. He was returning from Saket Court with his father when assailants in a Maruti Alto car fired 10 rounds at him. Police arrested Ratan's son, Deepak, along with two alleged shooters, Yogesh and Ajay, for this crime.
From Business Partners to Mortal Enemies: The Money Dispute
The roots of the conflict trace back to the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. Deepak Lohiya, Ratan's son, lost his job as a school van driver and grew close to Arun. Arun then offered Deepak a partnership in his real estate business. Ratan's family alleges that Deepak invested around Rs 25 lakh into the venture but was repeatedly denied his share when he asked for it back.
The dispute turned violent in April 2024, when a gang of 15 people allegedly beat up Deepak. An attempt to murder case was lodged against Arun. A local panchayat settlement, which required Arun to apologize, reportedly bruised his ego. Weeks later, on May 15, he was dead.
Following Deepak's arrest for Arun's murder, threats against Ratan's family intensified. Fearing for his life, Ratan purchased a level 2 bulletproof jacket from a retired Army man in Mehrauli and wore it daily. His daughter, Deepika, stated he had even disowned Deepak and published a newspaper advertisement to distance himself, pleading that the enmity was with his son, not him.
Gangster Links and a Paralyzed Family
Investigators suspect the involvement of organized crime in Ratan's meticulously planned execution. The use of illegal foreign-made firearms like Zigana and Beretta pistols points to professional shooters. Police suspect Arun's uncle, Kamal (40), who has at least eight criminal cases, hatched the plot. They claim he paid shooters linked to the Randeep Bhati gang to carry out the murder.
Other shooters identified are Anuj Chaudhary alias Fighter from Ghaziabad and Narender alias Neetu from Faridabad. Police are also probing possible links to US-based gangsters Neeraj Faridpuria and the Himanshu Bhau gang. The car used in Ratan's murder has been recovered, but no arrests have been made yet.
The aftermath has left Ratan's family shattered and living in fear. His wife, Kamlesh, and daughter, Deepika, are the only ones left in their Aya Nagar home. They have sent Ratan's younger son abroad for safety. "I can't sleep at night because every noise scares me… what if they break in and come for us?" Kamlesh told investigators. Deepika angrily insists her father was an innocent, soft-hearted man who loved his cows and sang bhajans on his YouTube channel, dragged into a mess not of his making.
Police are also examining how a common man procured a bulletproof jacket, typically issued only to security personnel. An officer explained the lightweight jacket Ratan wore could not withstand the 9mm or .30 bore bullets fired from the powerful pistols used in the attack.
