Ghaziabad: Man gets his two employees shot to stage shoot-out and procure arms licence; four arrested

Police said prime suspect Arif operates a snacks making factory in Sudamapuri near Crossings Republik and he has been trying to obtain an arms licence by portraying that there was a threat to his life. When all his attempts failed, he hatched a plan to stage a shoot-out, said police

A 27-year-old factory owner from Sudamapuri in Ghaziabad allegedly concocted an elaborate tale to get himself an arms licence and even got two of his employees shot and injured on a flyover in Vijay Nagar late Wednesday night to stage a shoot-out and make it appear as if his life was in danger and he needed a weapon to protect himself.

Police said the factory owner and his three employees have been arrested. Two of them are undergoing treatment at a hospital for superficial gunshot wounds. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Police said all four were arrested after the plot was busted after a detailed investigation on Thursday.

The police identified the suspects as factory owner Mohammad Arif, 27, and his three employees, Dinesh Pal, 25, his brother Nirdesh Pal, 21, and Gulfam Khan, 22.

They said that Arif operates a snacks making factory in Sudamapuri near Crossings Republik and he has been trying to obtain an arms licence by portraying that there was a threat to his life.

“We received a call around 1.30am on Thursday that two men on a mini pickup truck, near the DPS flyover in Vijay Nagar, had sustained gunshot wounds from three unidentified bikers. When our teams reached the spot, we found one (Nirdesh) with a gunshot wound to his hand while the other (Gulfam) had gunshot wound to his leg. The men also told us that bikers had issued death threats to their employer, Arif, before fleeing,” said Rajesh Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (city).

Police said the gunshot wounds were superficial in nature and had gunpowder burns around them. Another shot was fired at the windscreen of the pickup vehicle.

The DCP said the angles and nature of injuries seemed suspicious and they did not appeared to have resulted from a direct firing. He said the wounds appeared as if someone pulled up the skin and then fired the shot so as to have minimal impact. Besides, no goods from the vehicle or any valuables from the two men were taken.

Kumar said the two men were questioned in detail, and they broke down and revealed that their employer Arif had staged the incident in order to procure an arms licence.

Police said arms licences are issued in cases where a person has a threat to life. Police said Arif watched several online videos on ways to obtain a gun license.

“We arrested four men, including Arif. He is fond of keeping a gun and has been trying for an arms licence for the past several months. He said he had staged a stone pelting and an attack on his truck in the past, but none of these plans worked. So, he roped in his three employees and staged the shoot-out on the flyover. He procured a weapon and three cartridges and asked Dinesh to shoot two men superficially and also fire at the vehicle,” the DCP said.