Who's Kajal Khatri? 'Lady Don' arrested for airline crew's murder
Kajal Khatri, also known as "Lady Don," has been apprehended by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for her alleged involvement in the murder of Suraj Mann, an Air India crew member. Suraj, who is the brother of jailed gangster Parvesh Maan, was shot dead by three motorcycle-borne men when he was going to a gym near his residence in Greater Noida on January 19, 2023. According to reports, Khatri confessed to orchestrating the killing for a sum of ₹4 lakh.
Foiled murder plot and family feud
The murder plot involved one Naveen Sharma, who was paid an advance of ₹1.5 lakh to procure weapons for the hit job. However, the plan unraveled when Naveen was arrested by the Noida Police before receiving the full payment. The victim, Suraj, was shot dead amid a gang war between two rival factions led by jailed gangsters Pravesh and Kapil Maan.
Land dispute escalates to multiple murders
The crime is tied to a long-standing family feud over land in Delhi, resulting in multiple murders since 2010. "Both families claimed that a 100-yard patch of land belonged to them. Since then, members of the two families have attacked each other several times. Four murders had already taken place since then - two in each family. Suraj's murder was the fifth in connection with the land dispute," a senior officer said.
Khatri's rise to power and reward for capture
According to the authorities, Khatri ordered the killing of Suraj on the orders of her partner, Kapil. Kapil allegedly wanted to avenge his father's murder, as he suspected Parvesh of being involved. She was on the run since January and is suspected of leading her partner Kapil's gang and operation following his arrest in 2019. She also had a ₹25,000 bounty on her head.
She was a Delhi University student
Khatri attended Delhi University after completing her schooling from a renowned school in Rohini. However, she dropped out of college after she did not pass her final year. She met Kapil at a gym between 2016 and 2017. After Kapil's father was slain by rival gangsters in 2019, she moved from Delhi to Sonipat. In jail records, Khatri referred to herself as Kapil's wife, and she even claimed that they married at a temple before his arrest.
