Unidentified car-borne assailants gunned down a 22-year-old man in his car in the high-security Chanakyapuri area in New Delhi on Sunday morning. Police said a financial dispute was the motive behind the murder.

The deceased, Ankit Manocha, suffered two fatal bullet injuries, while his friend, Surender Kumar (23), took a bullet in his back.

The incident was reported around 2 pm in front of the Buddha Jayanti Park on Shanker Road. Manocha and Kumar were on their way to their Mehrauli residence in a black Santro (DL-2FF-K-0002) with three other friends.

Police said the assailants chased them from Karol Bagh in an Indica, crashed into their car to push them to a side of the road, and then started firing point-blank.

“Three shots were fired. One bullet lodged in Manocha’s head and another in his back. The third hit Kumar in the back. The three men on the rear seat opened the door and ran to safety.

The assailants also fled after the incident. Kumar got out of the car and walked 100 metres before collapsing on the road. A man, Satpal Singh, rushed the duo to the AIIMS Trauma Centre,”a senior police officer said.

At AIIMS, Manocha’s friend, Paras Singh said that the deceased had gone with a financier friend identified as Mahender Singh to recover money from car dealers. “Manocha was only accompanying Singh. Nine people had gone from Mehrauli to Karol Bagh in two cars. Singh had given Rs 65 lakh to two car dealers in Karol Bagh. After the dealers refused to pay back, an argument ensued. After that, they all left,” Paras said.

Paras said the two cars were on their way back to Mehrauli, when Manocha stopped at a vendor’s to buy some water. Mahender Singh, who was in the other car, drove past him. The assailants took the opportunity and started chasing the Santro.

Outside Chanakyapuri police station, a friend of Manocha who was in the car, said: “Five of us were in the Santro. When we stopped to buy a bottle of water, an Indica came and pushed our car to the side. Then the firing started.”

Manocha’s neighbour Raj Arora said, “Ankit was not involved in any way with the financier’s dealings. He had gone along just to lend support.”

Police said the amount in question was Rs 10 lakh and not Rs 65 lakh as claimed by Paras. They said that three Karol Bagh car dealers owed money to Singh — Sushil, Pushkar Arora and Rajesh Pandey.

Singh runs the CR Transport Company in Kishangarh.

Manocha lived with his parents and brother, Ankur Manocha, near Mother Dairy, in Mehrauli.

His father Rajiv Manocha has a plastic-manufacturing unit in Mehrauli, which makes frames for car glasses. Manocha’s neighbour Ashok Chibbar said, “Ankit’s father is also embroiled in a financial dispute. That could also be the motive.”