Though the police have no leads on the assailants, it is understood that these men knew the deceased Rakesh Kumar Anand. Anand had just left home at 9 am for his Laxmi Nagar office, when these men followed his Santro, stopped it near the D-block park close to his Sector 62 home, and drew Anand out for a chat. They spoke for 15 minutes before one of them brought out the gun and shot him in the chest. Eyewitnesses called in the police and took him to the district hospital in Sector 30. He died on the way.

Superintendent of Police (City) Rakesh Kumar Gautam said his officers are assessing eyewitness accounts. “We hope to crack the case soon,” he said. Those, who were present at the spot, said the three men appeared to be in a “friendly” chat, before the gun came out.

Meanwhile, the police believe the crime was driven by a larger motive, most probably out of professional enmity. An investigating officer said the assailants had not touched Anand’s personal belongings, like his wallet and mobile phone, when they made away. An officer said Anand dealt in contracts given to scrap dealers and the germs of this enmity might have been established there.

His family could not throw much light on the killers either. His son V Anand, a software engineer working in Bangalore, said the family does not suspect anyone. His family and neighbours at Varun Apartments, where Anand had lived for the last nine years, are also clueless about any ill will the SAIL employee might have developed in professional dealings. There is no evidence either that Anand was involved in disputes.