Udayraj Singh, Bhupinder Singh Bisht, Rajpal and Anand Singh Bisht were arrested for assaulting Hardeep’s men stationed at 42, DLF Chhattarpur Farms on Saturday, around an hour before the shootout. Ponty and Hardeep were killed in the exchange of gunfire.

According to police, the four arrested were part of Ponty’s staff. They had barged into the farmhouse, assaulted and then abducted Hardeep’s men after snatching their mobile phones and fired in the air, police said.

Police said this clash happened between 11 am and 11.30 am on Saturday. During the same period, another set of Ponty’s staff clashed with Hardeep’s men at the Chadhas’ Bijwasan farmhouse in Southwest Delhi. According to police, Ponty’s men were at Bijwasan farmhouse to take possession of the place.

“The incidents at Bijwasan and Chhattarpur were reported simultaneously, between 11 am and 11.30 am. Hardeep was in Noida at the time and was informed of the clashes. He immediately rushed to the Chhattarpur farmhouse. The shootout started after 12 noon and lasted for about 20 minutes,” police said.

Police said no firing was reported from the farmhouse in Bijwasan. Two of Ponty’s men were arrested for this clash.

Police said a local resident called them at 11.50 am on Saturday to report the scuffle between Ponty and Hardeep at the Chhattarpur farmhouse. But the police personnel who went to the spot to check on the complaint returned after noting that everything was “peaceful”.

Forty minutes later, police rushed to the Chhattarpur farmhouse again after they were informed about firing in the area at 12.28 pm.

Police said when the team reached the spot Hardeep’s body was on the ground, with two pistols. Six men, including his driver and three Punjab policemen, were there and two cars were parked nearby — a Scorpio and a Mercedes. Police were told that one person was taken to Fortis Hospital.

He was later identified as Ponty. Police did not comment on whether the shootout could be averted if the response to the first call — made at 11.50 am — was better. “The PCR was informed about a scuffle and there was no mention of a firing incident in the call,” an officer said.

A team of five doctors from AIIMS visited the Chhattarpur farmhouse to verify their findings of Ponty’s autopsy. They examined six bullet holes at the farmhouse with the help of senior police officer, who attempted to reconstruct the shootout.