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Updated: Jun 28, 2019 00:19 IST

Vikas Chaudhary (41), who was shot dead by unknown assailants on Thursday outside a gym in Faridabad Sector 9, was the Congress’s Haryana spokesperson and an active local leader.

Police officers aware of developments said he was accused in several kidnapping and extortion cases, so personal rivalry could be a motive behind his murder. He was into finance and real estate businesses.

According to Navdeep Singh Virk, additional director general of police, law and order, Haryana, Chaudhary had a criminal background. Seven police teams have been deployed to crack the case, he said, and hoped it would happen soon.

“As per the leads so far, Chaudhary had a criminal background and 13 FIRs of extortion, kidnapping, attempt to murder were registered against him since 2007 in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. His murder appears to be connected to his criminal background,” Virk tweeted.

Before joining the Congress, Chaudhary was with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) for some years.

He was Faridabad district president of INLD’s youth wing from 2010-2012. He then joined the Congress and was said to be close to Haryana Congress chief, Ashok Tanwar. Chaudhary is survived by his wife and two daughters aged eight and three years.

He was in the news recently after he highlighted various issues on social media , especially one pertaining to the Aravalli forest area. He is said to have studied till Class 12 in DAV School in Faridabad’s Sector 14.