NEW DELHI: A closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the fatal shooting of a Singapore-based executive in Faridabad has surfaced, showing how a dispute between neighbours over parking and other minor issues escalated into murder.
The footage, recorded on the night of Nov 6, allegedly shows the accused, Monu Sharma, firing multiple rounds at 42-year-old Paramjit Dhankhar, even as his family members tried to help him.
Dhankhar, who was working with a multinational company in Singapore, had returned to India just a day before the incident to attend a family wedding and celebrate Diwali.
He was shot dead outside his residence in Sector 21C of Faridabad on the evening of Dhanteras.
CCTV footage allegedly captures shooting
According to the NDTV, the CCTV footage allegedly shows Sharma approaching the building and repeatedly calling Dhankhar downstairs, addressing him as ‘Bhaiya’ and ‘Dhankhar sahab’.
He initially asks him to move his car, claiming there was insufficient space for parking.
Dhankhar first responds from his balcony and then comes downstairs with his son, Shaurya, to move the vehicle from the stilt parking area.
However, what begins as a discussion soon turns into a heated argument.
During the confrontation, Sharma questions Dhankhar about whether he knows what a ‘widow’ is and accuses him of arranging for three people to assault him.
Dhankhar appears confused and repeatedly asks him to explain the issue. He also folds his hands and denies any involvement, saying he does not want a confrontation.
Accused allegedly fires multiple rounds
The footage allegedly shows Sharma, dressed in a T-shirt and lower, suddenly pulling out a pistol from his right trouser pocket and opening fire at Dhankhar from close range.
He allegedly fires several rounds within seconds, forcing Dhankhar to run towards the building’s entrance. His son, who witnesses the shooting, runs upstairs to escape.
Despite being injured, Dhankhar manages to reach the gate and tries to close it to stop Sharma from following him.
However, the accused opens the gate and continues chasing him towards the road.
The two briefly engage in a physical struggle as Dhankhar attempts to grab Sharma by his collar.
He later holds on to the accused’s leg while struggling to defend himself. Meanwhile, a woman from the family rushes outside after hearing the gunshots and cries for help.
Reloads pistol and allegedly fires again
The CCTV footage further shows Sharma moving away from Dhankhar before returning with his pistol. He allegedly reloads the weapon and fires more rounds at the injured executive from close range.
While Dhankhar lies seriously injured on the road, Sharma is seen standing nearby with his licensed pistol. He is also allegedly heard shouting, “Happy Diwali, Mubarak”, followed by threats, including, “Sabko maar dunga, sabko maar ke jaunga (will kill all, will kill everyone).”
In another part of the footage, Sharma is allegedly heard abusing the victim and threatening his family. He then gets into his car parked outside the building and flees the spot. Dhankhar’s family members subsequently rush to take him to the hospital.
According to police, Dhankhar suffered nine bullet injuries to his cheek, back and abdomen.
Dispute over pet dog and parking
Police said the two families lived in the same four-storey building in Sector 21C. Dhankhar lived with his family on the ground floor, while Sharma, along with his wife and two children, lived on the second floor.
According to investigators, the neighbours had frequent disagreements over parking and other issues. Sharma had reportedly brought home a German Shepherd puppy around three months before the incident.
He and his son allegedly allowed the dog to defecate in the stilt parking area and near an underground water storage tank at the rear of the building.
Dhankhar and his family had repeatedly objected to the practice, leading to tensions between the neighbours.
Police also said Sharma had allegedly damaged one of the building’s three main gates, which was used exclusively by Dhankhar, around 10 days before the shooting.
Following the incident, Dhankhar and his son had filed a police complaint against Sharma.
Accused arrested, weapon recovered
Sharma was reportedly called to the Ankhir Police Post on the morning of Nov 6, following the complaint, just hours before the shooting.
He was arrested within hours of the murder after senior officers activated all crime branch teams to trace him, Surajkund Station House Officer (SHO) Prahlad Kumar said.
Faridabad Police Public Relations Officer Yashpal Yadav said Sharma was scheduled to be produced before a court on Thursday (Nov 12) after the completion of his three-day police remand.
He added that the murder weapon and the car allegedly used by the accused to escape from the spot had been recovered.
Dhankhar was a former Asia-Pacific regional business head at Tech Mahindra and was working as the senior vice-president of Vietnam-based FPT Software at the time of his death.
He had returned to India to attend his nephew’s wedding, which was scheduled to take place later in November. - The Statesman/ANN
