Six held for firing at Delhi medical store over Rs 5-cr extortion demand

Six men were arrested for their alleged involvement in a firing incident at a medical store in southwest Delhi’s Najafgarh last month, which investigators suspect was carried out over a Rs 5-crore extortion demand linked to gangster Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu, officials said on Thursday.

The men allegedly played different roles in the conspiracy — procuring illegal firearms, arranging money, and recruiting the shooter and motorcycle rider who carried out the attack at Bhawana Medicos on September 19, they said.

Ashiv Rathee alias Ashu (24), Manjeet (30), Hari Prakash alias Kala (42), Jyoti Prakash alias Jyoti alias Baba (35), Rahul (31) and Sahil alias Pintu (28), all residents of Delhi and Haryana, have been arrested.

The investigation has also revealed alleged links to Naveen Deshwal, who is reportedly based in Germany, and Sangwan, who are yet to be arrested in the case. Their alleged roles in the shooting and communications made by them are being investigated, police added.

The firing took place around 8.30 pm on September 19, when two men arrived on a motorcycle at Bhawana Medicos in the Naya Bazar area of Najafgarh. One of them opened fire at Sanjay Kumar Rohilla, who was in the shop. The bullet missed him and the assailants fled, police said.

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Statements recorded during the investigation indicated that the victim and his family had allegedly received extortion demands of Rs 5 crore in connection with a property deal, they said.

The case was registered at Najafgarh police station and subsequently investigated by the Crime Branch.

The investigation first led to the arrest of Ashiv Rathee on September 24. He allegedly procured three country-made semi-automatic pistols and 10 live cartridges from an unidentified supplier in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, and supplied two pistols and seven cartridges for the planned attack. One pistol and three live cartridges were recovered from him, police said.

Manjeet was arrested on September 28. He allegedly arranged Rs 1.5 lakh for procuring the firearms and helped Ashiv transfer the weapons and ammunition to Sahil, who allegedly coordinated the attack, police said.

Hari Prakash alias Kala was arrested on September 29. Investigators identified him as the alleged shooter who fired at Rohilla. The firearm reportedly jammed after the first shot, forcing the assailants to flee. The weapon allegedly used in the firing is yet to be recovered, they said.

Jyoti Prakash was subsequently arrested with the court’s permission over his alleged communication with his brother, Kapil Sangwan, regarding the proposed attack. His precise role is being investigated, police said.

Rahul, who was allegedly carrying a firearm while riding the motorcycle to the scene of the crime, was arrested on October 7. He allegedly accompanied Hari Prakash to the medical store. An SUV car allegedly provided to him for use was recovered, they said.

The sixth accused, Sahil, was arrested on October 9. He allegedly recruited Hari Prakash and Rahul to execute the attack, arranged the weapons and money, and handed over the firearms and ammunition before the incident, police said.

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According to investigators, Sahil disclosed that Ashiv and Manjeet had handed him two pistols, seven live cartridges and Rs 7 lakh. He allegedly passed the weapons and ammunition to the two men before the shooting.

Sahil also allegedly told investigators that he paid Rs 2.5 lakh to Hari Prakash and Rs 25,000 to Rahul after the incident. He had allegedly provided Rahul with the Kia Sonet car, police said.

The police suspect that the attack was part of a wider extortion conspiracy in which instructions attributed to Sangwan were allegedly relayed through Deshwal to ground-level associates. The alleged roles of the two men and the financial and communication links are being verified through independent evidence.