A murder case involving Vijay Kumar, a 28-year-old gym trainer, was filed in Aya Nagar, South Delhi, around 3:00 am on Monday, 14 September 2026.
The case of murder had taken place in the area of Hans Chowk in Aya Nagar village, which comes under the police station jurisdiction of Fatehpur Beri.
The murder case has been registered by the police department as a matter of rivalry between the victim and his killers.
There has been a rivalry between two families of that particular locality for the last one and a half years in which three persons have been killed.
As per the information released by the police, the shooting incident occurred at about 10 am when two unknown persons started firing on Vijay, who had apparently come out of the gym where he worked, after asking a person to call him out of the premises.
As per the police, 10 to 12 rounds had been fired during the incident, and approximately 18 cartridge shells had been found at the site of the shooting incident.
A key fact that has grabbed much attention is the revelation that Vijay’s sister told reporters about Vijay having a hearing on Monday the very same day he was murdered, and in which he was trying to get bail.
The police haven’t disclosed anything about the case that Vijay had been facing, but his family claims it had something to do with the feud causing his murder.
In fact, it seems from the statements of Vijay's family that "he was involved in a previous murder in the village," which indicates that there might be some relation between his murder and the violent conflict that seems to have taken place in Aya Nagar for the past three years.
In fact, as per earlier reports, this conflict started in 2023, when over a piece of land used for the dairy business of their family, two men who were once close friends, namely, Deepak and Arun Lohia, had fallen out over the matter.
In 2024, Lohia and his men were alleged to have beaten up Deepak, which made the attempt-to-murder case against him.
This conflict went further in May 2025, when the businessman Lohia was shot dead at the Chhatarpur Metro Station. Deepak and two of his associates, Yogesh and Ajay, were arrested for this crime and were lodged in Tihar Jail.
In fact, Yogesh is referred to as the elder brother of Vijay by the police, as reported by The Week.
The circle of violence went on for months later too. On November 30, 2025, a 52-year-old Ratan Ram, better known as the father of Deepak, was gunned down in Aya Nagar when he came out of his house at around 6:25 a.m. to purchase milk.
It is said that four or five people came in a car and opened fire on him with about 15-20 bullets and then left the scene.
Vijay’s murder, which took place on Monday, is seen as the next step in the circle of violence due to the same family being part of the dispute.
However, the police have stated that the motive and identity of those who murdered Vijay are still unclear.
They also indicated that they are looking into every angle of the case, which includes the motive for killing the victim and how it is related to the family's earlier dispute.
Until Monday, there had been no arrests made regarding the murder of Vijay. There had also been no confirmation from the police about whether the attack was related to their feud or another one.
Three murders have been committed within the past sixteen months in Aya Nagar as well as its adjoining area, called Fatehpur Beri, and are related to the same conflict, at least from the viewpoint of their relatives.
Arun Lohia died in May 2025, Ratan Ram was killed in November 2025, and now, in September 2026, Vijay Kumar has been murdered.
These incidents have created fears amongst people about the emergence of gang murders in a place where that kind of violence is unusual.
In this regard, it is expected that the main thrust of the investigation will be aimed at determining whether the shooting witnessed on Monday had been committed by individuals associated with the Lohia family in revenge for their acts or whether the motive behind it was something else altogether.
It is expected that forensic analysis of the shell cases found along with witness statements from around the gym would be central to the investigation. In light of the fact that this crime is associated with at least one existing criminal case, i.e.,
the attempted murder and murder cases involving Deepak, Yogesh, and Ajay, the timing of Vijay’s court hearing could also be considered.
