Delhi: Man with criminal background injured in firing over payment dispute; one held

New Delhi, Nov 1 (PTI) A 28-year-old man, involved in multiple criminal cases, was injured after two men allegedly opened fire at him in Delhi's Bhalswa Dairy area following a heated argument between them over a payment dispute, police said on Saturday.

The shooting occurred late on the night of October 31 near the pipeline area in Bhalswa Dairy. Police received a PCR call about gunfire and quickly arrived at the scene. They later proceeded to Burari Hospital, where the injured man, identified as Rajender, a resident of Basant Dada Patil Nagar, was admitted with a gunshot wound, they said.

Initial investigation revealed that the shooting resulted from the payment dispute. The complainant, Bharat, told the police that while he was with his uncle, Rajender, and another friend, they encountered the accused, Asif and Fardeen, near the pipeline. Following a heated argument, the accused allegedly opened fire, injuring Rajender.

"An empty cartridge and a bullet lead were recovered from the scene. Based on the eyewitness' statement, a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Arms Act," a senior police officer said.

Acting on specific inputs, the police launched an intensive overnight operation and apprehended the main accused, Asif (26), a resident of Basant Dada Patil Nagar," the officer said. A pistol used in the crime was recovered from his possession.

According to the police, Asif was previously involved in a case registered under charges of rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint, attempt to murder, rape, and criminal conspiracy in 2017 in Bhalswa Dairy.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to trace the co-accused, Fardeen, and other associates involved in the case.

Rajender is listed as a person of interest (Bad Character) by the Bhalswa Dairy Police Station and has a criminal history with five previous cases related to the Arms Act, theft, dacoity, assault, and kidnapping, police added.

The arrested accused has been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody, while further investigation in the case continues, officials said. PTI SSJ MPL MPL