4 nabbed in showroom shooting, extortion case
New Delhi, September 2
The Delhi Police have arrested four persons linked to a gunshot firing and extortion case at a jewellery showroom in Mukherji Nagar, the police said on Monday.
According to the police, the arrested were allegedly operating under the instructions of notorious gangsters. The incident occurred on August 24, when gunshots were fired outside the showroom, and a demand for Rs 1 crore in protection money was made. A CCTV footage showed a young man firing multiple rounds at the establishment.
The suspect also left behind a note allegedly on behalf of gangsters Neeraj Bawana, Naveen Bali, Bambiha and Bhola. The perpetrators were later seen fleeing the scene on a motorcycle, and the shop owner soon received a threatening phone call demanding the ransom.
The investigation zeroed in on suspects, leading to the first arrests on August 28. The police arrested Nikki Bidhudi, a resident of Bulandshahr, UP, who was identified as the person who accompanied the shooter to the scene, and Hemant, a resident of Mathura, UP, who was found to have arranged a SIM card under a fake ID to make the extortion call.
“Both revealed that they, along with other gang members, conspired to fire gunshots in front of the shop to demand protection money,” said DCP, Special Cell, Northern Range, Manoj C.
The police later arrested the main shooter, Aakash, also known as Katil, from Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, and the conspirator, Harender, also known as KD, from Greater Noida. They had gone underground, deactivating their mobile phones and social media accounts to evade capture.
“Aakash, a Class XII dropout, was previously arrested in a robbery case in Delhi in 2021. During his time in Mandoli Jail, he developed connections with several gangsters, which led him deeper into the criminal world,” the DCP said.
“On the day of the incident, Aakash and Nikki arrived in Mukherji Nagar on a stolen Apache motorcycle. Aakash carried out the shooting and left behind a note demanding money,” he added.
Nikki discontinued his studies after completing Class XII from Meerut and had been working as a school driver in Greater Noida before falling into financial hardship, which led him to join Harender in the extortion plot. Harender, an MA in political science and a teacher by profession, had been previously arrested in two criminal cases. His fascination with the criminal underworld led him to target the jewellery shop for the extortion attempt.
“Hemant, a former national-level cyclist and BSc third-year dropout, also fell into criminal activities after leaving his studies. He was arrested in two previous cases involving extortion calls to jewellers. His connections with notorious gangsters during his imprisonment in Mandoli Jail played a key role in the conspiracy,” the official said.
The police have seized the pistol used in the crime, along with four live cartridges, the motorcycle, the attire of the perpetrators and the mobile phone used for the extortion demand.
