Man, accused in fake arms licences racket, shot dead by acquaintance in Gurgaon

Police said the deceased has been identified as Manish Bhardwaj. According to the police, the incident took place around 3 pm when Bhardwaj, his acquaintance and one Pramod alias Bablu were roaming in the city in a Bolero.

“Bhardwaj was seated in the codriver’s seat while Pramod was driving. The three drove around for more than two hours. When the car reached near a school at New Colony crossing, the accused allegedly shot Bhardwaj multiple times,” said Subhash Boken, spokesperson, Gurgaon police.

Police said four-five gunshots were fired. He was rushed to a private hospital on old railway road, where he was declared dead on arrival. Police said prima facie, a financial dispute was suspected to be the reason for the murder, adding that they were investigating all the angles.

The FIR was registered on the statement of Pramod. In the FIR, Pramod said that he and Bhardwaj had left their house to purchase an air conditioner. “On the way, Bhardwaj called the accused and we picked him up on the way. We went to some shops in Sadar Bazar and booked an AC from a shop near Sohna chowk. The accused had borrowed a huge sum of money from Bhardwaj and during the commute, both were discussing the issue. When we were about to drop the accused, he suddenly shot Bhardwaj. I got out of the car and immediately informed the police on 112 and the victim’s family,” said Pramod in the FIR.

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A police officer, requesting anonymity, “After the shooting, the Bolero hit another vehicle. The shooter escaped on foot. The victim was found lying on the codriver’s seat of his Bolero car.”

Police said an FIR was registered against the accused under section 302 (murder) of IPC and relevant sections of The Arms Act at New Colony police station.

Bhardwaj alias Kale, a resident of Gurgaon village, was arrested in February 2017 for his alleged involvement in getting fake arms licences issued in connivance with officials of the licensing department. Police had said that he was the mastermind of the racket and that he also sold illegal arms and ammunition after procuring fake licences for people. An SIT was set up to probe the case and at least three police officers, including the in charge of the arms licensing branch, were arrested. Four police officers were suspended for their alleged role in the scam.

Police said both the accused and Bhardwaj were arrested in the cheating and forgery case and were later released on bail in July 2017.