Naraina car showroom shooting executed for extortion, say police

The Delhi Police announced on Friday that the shooting at a luxury car showroom in Naraina was linked to fugitive gangster Himanshu Bhau and was executed for extortion.

The Delhi Police’s Special Cell arrested two key sharpshooters involved in the firing incident at the ‘Car Street’ showroom. The arrests followed an extensive operation that spanned five states — Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The arrested were identified as Aakash, alias Bholi (19), and Sumit, alias Kala (29), and they were apprehended at Miraj Junction in Maharashtra.

“The accused did not stay in any location for more than a few hours. On Wednesday, further investigation revealed that they were en route to Kolhapur in Maharashtra, where they had a pre-determined hideout,” said Additional CP Pramod Kushwaha.

Through intelligence gathering and analysis of their movement patterns, the Delhi Police identified the train in which they were travelling and laid a trap at the junction.

“During interrogation, both accused disclosed that they were tasked with opening fire at the Car Street showroom to extort money from the owner. They had begun reconnaissance of the car showroom,” the official added.

On September 27, around 6.30 pm, all accused — namely Armaan Khan, Aakash, Sumit, and Deepak — arrived in Naraina after staying at a hotel in Rohtak the previous day. Sumit, Aakash and Armaan entered the showroom, with Sumit and Aakash carrying weapons and opening fire inside, while Armaan handed over an extortion note and threatened the showroom manager.

“After the incident, the shooters split up to avoid arrest. Armaan and Deepak went their separate ways, while Sumit and Aakash boarded a bus to Jaipur. From Jaipur, they travelled to Hisar and then to Amritsar by train, continuously changing their hideouts in Hisar, Rohtak and Sonepat,” the official said.

On Tuesday, they arrived at Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, where they took a train to Manmad through Madhya Pradesh, then on to Pune, and finally to Kolhapur.

Aakash, a resident of Rohtak, studied till Class VII before moving to his relative’s home in Rajasthan, where he completed his education up to Class X. Sumit, a resident of Charkhi Dadri, finished his secondary education and later opened a finance office named Baba Finance in Gurugram in partnership with friends.

Meanwhile, the police had said on Thursday that Deepak, the mastermind of the incident, was an international junior kickboxer. Deepak had won the international junior championship gold for three consecutive years and had received a job in the Army through the sports quota, but later quit. He is an accredited Wushu coach and runs a kickboxing coaching centre at a town in Rohtak. Due to greed for money, he agreed to commit the crime and played a key role in the incident at the behest of his associates, the police said.