New Delhi: At first, it sounded like a bike backfiring, again and again. Some thought children were bursting crackers near the Ganesh Chaturthi pandal just 100 metres away.“We realised later, only when a crowd gathered, that a man was being shot at. We found the man lying in a pool of blood, just outside his gym,” said a man who saw the commotion in south Delhi’s Aya Nagar, where 30-year-old Vijay Lohia was killed Monday morning.More than 10 rounds were fired at Vijay, in what his family claimed was a case of revenge killing.His sister Sudha said Vijay was supposed to appear in court to record a statement in a property feud. She claimed he had confided in her about being harassed by a few men over the past 15 days.Two weeks ago, some people allegedly saw Vijay being strong-armed by a few well-built men. “While playing football in the park nearby, we heard three or four men threatening someone. Passersby calmed the group down, after which they left,” Sonu (17), who lives in the neighbourhood, claimed.Vijay’s family alleged they had been threatened several times by a man residing in their neighbourhood in Fatehpur Beri. The man’s son, a businessman, was killed in a May 2025 shootout.Vijay’s wife Ritu Lohia said, “It began when Ajay, Vijay’s younger brother, was arrested for allegedly aiding the businessman’s killing. In Nov, Ratan Lohia, who our family knows, was killed, with 69 shots fired. Now we have been targeted.”Ajay, an accused in the case, is currently in jail.Vijay had reassured his family many times that “no one would harm him as he wasn’t involved in any dispute”. The middle son among three brothers, he had been a gym trainer for eight years. Four years ago, he opened his own gym.“Vijay and Ajay were married on the same day five years ago, to brides who are sisters. Vijay had absolutely no connection with the feud,” said Narender Lohmod, his uncle.A newly-constructed three-storey building built by Vijay stands adjacent to his brothers’ homes. Their ancestral home was divided into three plots of land, one for each to build a house of their own.All three homes echo a common sorrow now. “He used to call me after every hour whenever he went out, and ask if I wanted anything. We spoke on the phone five minutes before they told me he was shot. I just want my husband back,” said Ritu, her voice cracking.
