A 52-year-old dairy businessman, Rattan Lohia also known as Ratan Kumar Lohia or Ratan Ram in some reports was brutally gunned down outside his home in south Delhi’s Aya Nagar on 30 November 2025, in what police describe as a savage revenge attack amid a bitter seven-year family feud over property.
Assailants in a car ambushed him during his early morning routine, unleashing a barrage of gunfire that left 69 bullets in his body, killing him instantly and shocking the quiet village neighbourhood.
This execution appears tied to the May 2025 murder of Arun Lohia near Chhatarpur Metro station, for which Rattan’s son Deepak Lohia and associates remain jailed; Delhi Police now probe five shooters, jail-based gangsters, and possible overseas contract killers, with no arrests as of mid-December 2025 amid heightened tensions and extra security deployments.
Savage Execution Shocks Neighbours
The attack unfolded with chilling precision around 6 AM, as Lohia stepped out to collect milk for his dairy business, a daily ritual in the close-knit Aya Nagar community nestled amid south Delhi’s urban sprawl.
Eyewitnesses recounted how a car screeched to a halt, disgorging five armed men who surrounded the victim and fired in relentless bursts described by villagers as sounding like a full-scale gang war echoing through the narrow lanes.
“The gunfire was non-stop, terrifying; we hid inside, praying it would end, but by then he was gone,” a local shopkeeper shared, capturing the raw fear that has since paralysed residents who once left doors unlocked.
Forensic teams swarmed the scene, recovering 69 bullets that underscore the hit’s professional nature, while CCTV footage from nearby homes is being scrutinised for clues on the getaway vehicle and suspects’ faces. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Amit Sharma confirmed: “This was no impulsive act but a meticulously planned operation; we’re analysing ballistics, footprints, and digital trails to identify the perpetrators swiftly.”
Lohia’s wife, left to console their young children amid grief-stricken wails, pleaded publicly for justice, humanising the toll on families caught in this vortex of violence.
Neighbours, many from similar modest backgrounds running small trades, now whisper of sleepless nights and shuttered shops, as the bloodshed has shattered their sense of security in a locality long plagued by such simmering disputes.
Roots in Land Feud and Prior Bloodshed
This murder traces back to 2018, when a seemingly minor property disagreement over a small plot in Aya Nagar earmarked for Lohia’s expanding dairy operations ignited a ferocious rivalry between two erstwhile friendly families: the Lohias and their rivals led by Arun Lohia.
What began as heated arguments escalated dramatically in 2023 into fistfights and threats, culminating in 2024 when Arun’s men allegedly assaulted Deepak Lohia over the disputed land, fuelling Deepak’s group to allegedly orchestrate Arun’s fatal stabbing near Chhatarpur Metro station in May 2025.
Deepak and several accomplices were promptly arrested and remain behind bars, but sources indicate jailed gangsters may have masterminded Rattan’s killing as brutal payback, possibly hiring five shooters with links to international syndicates for the hit.
Police investigations, intensified post-incident, have uncovered fresh leads: intercepted calls hinting at third-party instigators, financial transactions funding the weapons, and even whispers of overseas handlers coordinating from abroad a disturbing sign of how local grudges now entwine with global crime networks.
In the immediate aftermath, minor clashes erupted between supporters of both families, prompting Delhi Police to deploy additional patrols, conduct raids on suspected hideouts in nearby Fatehpur Beri, and hold community meetings to quell unrest.
A senior officer remarked: “We’re leaving no stone unturned from questioning family members to tracking smuggled arms to dismantle this cycle before it claims more lives.” Residents, caught in the crossfire, have formed informal night watches, while local leaders call for government intervention to mediate land disputes through formal arbitration, highlighting how unchecked feuds erode social fabric in Delhi’s peri-urban villages.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
In the shadow of such barbaric retribution, where a father’s morning errand ends in a bullet-riddled corpse and communities cower in dread, we witness the poisonous fruit of unresolved animosities that fester unchecked transforming brothers into executioners and neighbourhoods into war zones.
The Logical Indian unequivocally condemns this descent into savagery, reaffirming our unwavering commitment to peace through dialogue, kindness as a daily practice, empathy that bridges divides, and harmonious coexistence as the bedrock of a just society; we urge Delhi Police to expedite arrests, families to embrace mediated reconciliation via panchayats or courts, and residents to champion community forums that prioritise healing over hatred.
True progress demands we break these vengeful chains with proactive social change investing in conflict resolution training, transparent land registries, and youth programmes fostering mutual respect to safeguard lives and restore trust.
