Moti Goel, who was shot down in Noida, had a number of cases of land grabbing registered against him in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr
Land mafia kingpin shot down - representative image
A 62-year-old businessman and land mafia kingpin, Moti Goyal was shot dead by two unidentified bike borne assailants in broad daylight in sector 49, Noida on Monday evening.
Goyal was supervising the construction work at his plot when the assailants fired eight to ten bullets at him. He collapsed on the ground as some of the bullets hit him on the abdomen and head. Hearing the gunshots, the construction workers present at the site fled away.
According to the police, the incident took place at around 5.15 pm on Monday in Hindon Vihar colony of sector 49. Locals informed the police about the incident and a team of senior police officials reached the spot.
“As the information was conveyed, a police team reached the spot and found him lying in a pool of blood. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. Goyal received a bullet in his head and some bullets in his abdomen. The body has been sent for a post-mortem and reports of which are awaited” said Shwetabh Pandey, circle Officer-III, Noida.
Police suspect that Goyal was killed over some old property and land dispute.
“Prima facie it appears to be a case of land dispute as reports say that he was involved in a number of land grabbing incidents in past. However our investigations are underway to ascertain the actual reason behind the murder. Meanwhile no complaint has been received so far,” added Pandey.
According to reports, Goyal was believed to be a powerful man and had powerful contacts in the previous governments. He was booked and imprisoned in 2005 in connection with land scams totaling almost two thousand and five hundred crores.
A number of cases of land grabbing were also registered against him in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr districts in the past two decades.
