New Delhi, May 14 (IANS): Two men - one of them a witness in a case being heard in court - were shot dead in full public view by unidentified assailants here on Thursday, police said.

Ram Charan, 43, and Lakhan Lal, 52, were building contractors and had gone to a shop in central Delhi's Rajendra Nagar market for a cup of tea, when three men reached there on a motorcycle and fired at the duo from close range around 9.15 a.m.

While Ram Charan died on the spot, Lakhan Lal was rushed to the nearby B.L. Kapoor Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Both the deceased were residents of the nearby Dasghara area.

According to police, Ram Charan was a witness in a case pending in the Tis Hazari court and was to appear next week.

"Someone involved in the court case could be behind this attack but we are looking at other angles as well," a police officer said.

Police registered a case of murder and were also screening the CCTV footage of the area to identify the attackers. No one has been arrested so far.