An Athens betting shop owner was shot dead on Saturday, in what police believe may have been a botched contract killing intended for another man who ran a similar business further down the street.

Giorgos Lyritis, 57, was shot twice in the head and the chest by a young man in his shop on 67 Ilia Iliou Street in Neos Cosmos, after unsuccessfully begging for his life. The killing was witnessed by a 17-year-old boy who happened to be in the shop at the time watching football and was not seen by the killer.

The gunman made no effort to steal any of the cash in the till, which drove police to suspect Lyritis’s death had been the work of a professional killer, or somebody with a strong grudge.

Officers now believe the real target had been Yiannis Vlantinas, who also owns a betting shop on number 67 of the extension of Ilia Iliou. Vlantinas had received death threats after making claims on television regarding time-share scams.