The incident took place near Daraula village in southwest Delhi around 5 pm. (Praveen Khanna) The incident took place near Daraula village in southwest Delhi around 5 pm. (Praveen Khanna)

Minutes after a 21-year-old toll booth operator was shot at five times by three men on a bike on Friday evening, over 50 people gathered at the spot — making frantic calls and shooting videos as the man lay on the ground with a bullet lodged in his head. The incident took place near Daraula village in southwest Delhi around 5 pm. The men shot Amar Singh following an argument over the payment of Rs 2,600 in green tax — a measure implemented on directions of the Supreme Court to curb air pollution levels in the capital.

Police arrived 45 minutes later. In a 35-second video accessed by The Sunday Express, Singh is seen writhing in pain while locals can be heard shouting “video banao” and “kisi ne number note kiya?” Singh was taken to Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj and managed to survive with bullet wounds to his head, neck, chest and abdomen. However, he is still critical.

A source at the hospital said, “He had to undergo an emergency surgery; he is critical. We managed to remove two bullets while a third was found lodged in his abdominal cavity. He survived as the bullet injury to the head did not affect vital parts of the brain. There have been many cases where patients survive such incidents.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Shibesh Singh said around a dozen men have been questioned in connection with the incident. “Some trucks had passed through the area and Singh levied the green tax. Then the three men arrived. An argument broke out over paying the tax and they fired at Singh,” a senior police officer said.

While there are two CCTVs mounted at the toll booth, police said the incident was not captured due to the angle at which the cameras are placed. There are two main exits leading to Gurgaon and Jhajjar from the toll booth, which police think the accused may have used to get away.

The men shot Amar Singh (above) following an argument over payment of Rs 2,600 in green tax. (Praveen Khanna) The men shot Amar Singh (above) following an argument over payment of Rs 2,600 in green tax. (Praveen Khanna)

Locals who spoke to The Sunday Express said they did not help Singh as they feared he would die, inviting the ire of the police. “We are illiterate. If any one of us had tried to save him and he died in the process, police would have arrested us. We shot videos to give as proof to the police,” Shailesh, a local, said.

An eyewitness, Krishan Singh, said: “I was passing through the area and saw the three men on a bike. Then I heard a gunshot. I thought it was a fire cracker at first. I looked back and saw the boy, dripping with blood, collapse on the ground. I just saw one bike and no trucks.”

Singh’s colleagues at the toll booth said he has been working there since October 1. “He was the collector at the toll booth. At the time of the incident, his colleague, Anup Singh, who is the helper, had gone to a tea shop. There was no guard at the toll booth as he had taken an off for Diwali,” said Mohit, who works at toll booth number 2, a kilometre away.

The three MCD toll booths are privately managed by MEP Infrastructure Developers, which took over them from the previous company — DEP Toll LLP. Employees said each booth collects around Rs 50,000 at night and Rs 4,000 during the day.

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