Man Shot Dead in Delhi Over Parking Dispute Between Neighbours
Gaurav Sharma allegedly shoots Pankaj Nayyar (34) outside his family home in Preet Vihar after a parking row; accused arrested, two accomplices on the run
Quick Look
- A 34-year-old man, Pankaj Nayyar, was shot dead in East Delhi's Preet Vihar early Monday morning during a parking dispute with neighbour Gaurav Sharma (42).
- The argument began when Sharma parked his Fortuner blocking the Nayyar family's gate.
- Sharma allegedly called Pankaj repeatedly to provoke him, and when Pankaj arrived around 2am, Sharma and his associates assaulted him and shot him dead.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Parking disputes in residential buildings in Indian cities are common, but rarely escalate to violence. The building has ground-floor parking designated for residents. Sharma had moved in six months earlier as a tenant and owned three vehicles while the Nayyar family owned two.
NEW DELHI: A row over parking a Fortuner killed a man a little after 2am on Monday in East Delhi's Preet Vihar. Pankaj Nayyar (34) was shot dead outside his family's home in a five-storey building allegedly by neighbour Gaurav Sharma, who had moved in six months earlier as a tenant. Pankaj was killed in front of his brother Paras Nayyar, who had called him in from Noida after the argument broke out. Sharma had 3 cars - a BMW, a Fortuner and another vehicle - and had been fighting with the Nayyars who owned two cars - a Baleno and a Swift - over parking in the building, which has a ground-floor area designated for parking. Sharma (42) was arrested from Model Town. His two accomplices who joined the assault are on the run. Paras (43) and his parents live on the second floor, while Sharma lives on the first floor.
Brother called over from Noida to settle parking row in Preet Vihar, pays with life. Since parking had been a recurring source of friction, Paras said he had tried to accommodate Sharma by allowing him to use a parking space in an adjacent building, where the first floor is owned by Paras' family. However, a dispute arose over the parking of the Fortuner. "When I saw that he had parked his Fortuner right in front of our gate, blocking the entry, I asked him to remove it. He started arguing, abusing and threatening me. By then, neighbours had also gathered and tried to resolve the issue. I even made him speak to my brother as I was alone at home and felt unsafe," Paras told TOI.
Paras added that he had initially planned to go to Noida to stay with his brother but instead called him over to help defuse the situation. "At some point, the argument was resolved and my brother, who was on the way, was about to return, but Gaurav kept instigating him, calling repeatedly, abusing our family and forcing him to come. When he finally arrived around 2 am, Gaurav and his associates started assaulting him. Within minutes, before we could even call the police, he pulled out a gun and shot my brother, and then hit me on the head with the butt of a pistol before fleeing," Paras alleged.
Police said they received two PCR calls, the first at 2.22 am, followed by another at 2.26 am, both reporting quarrel and firing. Relatives of the Nayyar family alleged that two associates of Sharma arrived on a motorcycle and joined the assault. Building guards said parking disputes are common but rarely escalate, so they avoid intervening. A case has been registered at Preet Vihar police station under sections 103 (murder), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
Open Questions
- What was the exact motive for the shooting beyond the parking dispute?
- Were there any prior complaints or police involvement in the parking conflict?
- What will happen to the two accomplices still at large?
