Ponty Chadha, brother dead in bloody family feud

Liquor and real estate baron Ponty Chadha, who hit the headlines for his political clout and extravagant lifestyle, and his younger brother Hardeep Chadha were shot dead in a family feud in a Mehrauli farmhouse in south Delhi Saturday, police said.

"According to the details we have, first Hardeep shot Ponty and immediately Ponty's gunmen shot Hardeep. The shooting was a result of a property dispute. The incident happened around 12.30 p.m.," a senior police official told IANS.

According to police, the shootout took place on the lawn of the sprawling farmhouse at 42, Central Lane, DLF, Chattarpur farms, Mali village in Mehrauli on the southern edges of the capital.

"Hardeep called on his brother Ponty at around 11.30 a.m. today (Saturday) to discuss about a real estate deal. The two had an argument, which turned into an altercation, following which the firing took place resulting in the death of both," a senior police official said.

"Gurpreet Singh Chadha alias Ponty Chadha and Hardeep Chadha were brought dead to Fortis Hospital in Delhi's Vasant Kunj and later both the bodies were taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for post mortem examination," a police official said.

Ponty Chadha's real name was Gurpreet Singh Chadha and his business empire encompassed distilleries, multiplexes, sugar and paper mills, real estate, poultry and films.

Earlier on Oct 5, a case of shooting had taken place inside Ponty Chadha's ancestral home in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.