8 arrested for firing at man over monetary dispute in Delhi

New Delhi, June 27 (IANS) Delhi Police has arrested eight men for allegedly firing at a person over a monetary dispute in south Delhi's CR Park area, an official said on Tuesday.

The accused have been identified as Anup (28), Govind Gupta (32), Gaurav (36), Neeraj (30), residents of Faridabad in Haryana, Rakesh Kumar Goyel (42), Abhishek Singh (22), Anmol Gupta (26) and Prince (20), residents of Sangam Vihar.

According to police, a PCR call regarding firing near Bata Showroom, CR Park was received on Thursday following which a police team was dispatched for the spot.

Upon arriving at the scene, the victim reported that he was travelling in a car with a friend en route to New Friends Colony. Suddenly, unidentified men opened fire on them and quickly fled the scene. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to his right hand, and the bullet also damaged his mobile phone.

During the investigation, the police meticulously examined more than 350 CCTV cameras and covered a distance of 17 kilometers, retracing the route in reverse. Eventually, they arrived in Sangam Vihar, near the complainant's residence. Suspicious men were observed loitering around the complainant's house, engaging in reconnaissance activities, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Chandan Chowdhary.

A raid was promptly organised, resulting in the apprehension of two suspects, Neeraj and Gaurav, who were located in Faridabad, Haryana. During interrogation, they disclosed the identities of the hired gunmen, Anup and Govind, who were subsequently apprehended in Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh respectively, said the DCP.

“One bike, a country-made pistol, three bullets, an auto-rickshaw, and Rs 25,000 in cash were recovered. Additionally, four more accused were later arrested, and Rs 1 lakh was seized,” the official added.

During the investigation, Goyel revealed that he had incurred significant losses in a betting scheme operated by Sachin Gupta. The debt, which started at a lower amount, had accumulated to Rs 75 lakh due to compound interest. They reached an agreement that Goyel would pay Rs 1.5 lakh per month as interest until the full payment was made.

“As a shopkeeper, the monthly payment was an enormous burden for Goyel. To rid himself of the debt, he hatched a plan to murder Sachin Gupta. He enlisted the services of Govind and Anup through intermediaries named Anmol and Prince,” said the official.

“Anmol arranged the murder with Rakesh for Rs 6 lakh but then passed it on to Prince for Rs 3.5 lakh. Prince subsequently hired two shooters, Govind and Anup, for the job, paying them Rs 3 lakh,” said the official.

It is worth noting that Anup had previously been involved in four criminal cases. Gaurav and Neeraj were observed conducting surveillance of the complainant near his house for a period of four to five days before the incident, providing information on his movements to Anup and Govind.

In addition to the above information, the police mentioned that they recovered one motorcycle and a homemade pistol used in the crime. They also seized one semi-automatic pistol, three live cartridges, one auto-rickshaw, and Rs 25,000 in cash. Subsequently, four more men were apprehended, and an additional Rs 1 lakh was recovered.