NEW DELHI: A dispute over a gym being run from a residential property allegedly spiralled into a violent assault in Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi, where a man was beaten, his wife was allegedly molested, and their son was stripped and assaulted on the street. Police have arrested the gym’s caretaker, while three other accused remain absconding.
According to police, the complainant owns a house in Laxmi Nagar and operates a gym in its basement. He alleged that the gym’s caretaker cheated him and attempted to take over the business, triggering tensions. On January 2, when the complainant and his wife were heading to the basement to check a water leakage, the caretaker allegedly arrived with several men and began arguing with them.
The dispute quickly turned violent, with the complainant alleging he was punched and kicked repeatedly. He further claimed his wife was molested during the confrontation. When their son came out after hearing the commotion, the attackers allegedly grabbed him, dragged him onto the street, stripped him and assaulted him in public.
Police said the incident was captured on CCTV cameras, which have been seized. The footage, widely circulated on social media, reportedly shows a group of four to five men assaulting a naked man and repeatedly kicking him until police arrived at the spot. Investigators are examining the footage to establish the exact sequence of events.
Speaking to reporters later, the complainant said, “On January 2, around 3–3.30 pm, I was standing outside when they pushed me and started beating me. They tore my clothes and kept punching me in the face.” He added that his son was badly beaten and left lying on the road, just days before his wedding. “My son’s wedding is in 10 days. I saw him lying on the road,” he said.
The man said both his sons left home after the incident and switched off their mobile phones. “We don’t know where they are,” he added. His wife alleged that by the time she reached the police station to seek help, her son had already been dragged to the middle of the road and assaulted. “The way he was stripped and dragged—how is this any less than rape?” she asked.
A case has been registered at Laxmi Nagar police station under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, criminal trespass, assault or use of criminal force to outrage the modesty of a woman, acts intended to insult a woman’s modesty, and criminal intimidation.
