Gurgaon, Oct 15 (IANS): A 35-year-old cow shelter owner here was shot dead by his teenage nephew and his four friends apparently over a property dispute, police said on Thursday.

Sandeep Kataria, who ran the Radha-Krishna Cow Care Centre in Sector 9, was fatally shot thrice from close quarters on Wednesday night.

Kataria was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead.

His nephew Jony, aged 18 or 19, his friend Ankur and three others have been booked for the murder. They are on the run.

"Prima facie property dispute seems to be the reason for the murder but some other elements may also be behind the crime," Assistant Commissioner of Police Hawa Singh told IANS.

"Jony often visited to cow shelter. On Wednesday night, around 9, he visited the shelter with two accomplices and opened fire at his uncle," Singh said.

At that time, several people were present in the shelter but no one reacted.

The other two accomplices of Jony waited at the main gate of the shelter. All the accused, aged around 20 years, escaped.

"Jony, his two brothers and a sister were cared for by Sandeep Kataria. But the accused believed that he was paying them less for the common land of the family on which the cow shelter was developed," said a villager.

"The deceased often fought for the cause of cow protection and some anti-social elements may have targeted him through his nephew," said another police officer.

Kataria, said to be a cousin of local municipal councillor Lakhpat Kataria, was allegedly shot and injured last year by cow smugglers. He was cremated on Thursday in his village Basai near here.