Delhi: Man arrested for getting friend shot over unpaid loan

The Delhi Police has arrested a man who allegedly got his friend shot over an unpaid loan of Rs 4.5 lakh, an official said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Siddharth Bhardwaj, was held from Pitampura in the intervening night of November 23, following multiple raids.

“Bhardwaj, a school dropout, is a repeat offender with eight previous cases of robbery, snatching and theft registered against him. The incident took place on November 5 when the victim, Rahul Singh (26), went to Siddharth’s rented flat in Sarai Rohilla, to demand his money back. Rahul had earlier lent Siddharth Rs 4.5 lakh, which Siddharth then passed on to his associate Rohit,” a senior police officer said.

The officer further said that when Rahul asked for repayment, an argument broke out inside the flat, where Siddharth, Rohit and others were present.

During the altercation, Rohit allegedly called his associate Samir Dahiya, who reached the spot and fired at Rahul on Rohit’s instructions, hitting Rahul’s left knee. The attackers fled, and Rahul was rushed to a government hospital.

An FIR was registered, and further investigation was launched.

Police analysed the footage of over 150 CCTV cameras, which showed four vehicles, including a Range Rover believed to be used by the accused.

However, the suspects switched off their phones and constantly changed locations to evade arrest. Multiple raids were conducted in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Acting on inputs and local intelligence, the team finally traced Siddharth to a rented accommodation in Pitampura. During interrogation, he allegedly admitted he was unable to repay the loan and had called his associates after the dispute escalated.

Police said efforts are underway to trace the co-accused, Rohit and Dahiya.