In a bizarre twist to a reported shooting case, Delhi Police have arrested a 53-year-old auto-rickshaw driver for allegedly staging a self-inflicted gunshot injury to frame several acquaintances. The incident, rooted in personal and financial disputes, unfolded in the Mukherjee Nagar area of northwest Delhi.
The Reported Incident and Initial Claims
The police control room received a call around 2 am on December 28, reporting that a man had been shot near Ring Road, close to Valmiki Mandir in Malikpur. The caller stated the victim was travelling from Azadpur towards Kingsway Camp. Officers rushed to the location and found Prabhas Pandey injured with a gunshot wound near his auto-rickshaw.
Pandey was quickly taken to BJRM Hospital and later referred to Safdarjung Hospital, where surgeons successfully removed a bullet from his body. In his statement to the police, Pandey claimed that three men had stopped him in an auto-rickshaw. He alleged they demanded repayment of a loan with interest and shot him when he refused.
Investigation Unravels a Fabricated Story
Acting on the complaint, police began a detailed investigation. They scanned CCTV footage from the area to track Pandey's movements and analysed his call detail records. The men named by Pandey as the assailants were traced and questioned thoroughly.
However, inconsistencies began to emerge. "Inconsistencies in the evidence and technical analysis pointed to a fabricated story," said DCP (North West) Bhisham Singh. The technical and physical evidence did not support Pandey's version of events, leading investigators to suspect he had orchestrated the entire incident.
Motive Behind the Staged Crime
Further interrogation revealed Pandey's motives were twofold, involving deep personal entanglements and financial liability. According to DCP Singh, Pandey was involved in an illicit relationship with a woman who previously lived with his friend, Dharam Singh. He wanted to frame Dharam Singh and the woman's son, Tarun Mathur, who opposed the relationship.
On the financial front, Pandey had borrowed approximately Rs 90,000 from Sant Kumar and allegedly devised the shooting plot to avoid repaying the loan by implicating him as well.
Arrests and Recovery
Based on the evidence, police arrested Prabhas Pandey and his associate, Ashish (28). From them, officials seized a country-made pistol and a fired cartridge, believed to be the weapons used in the staged shooting. The case highlights how personal vendettas and financial stress can lead individuals to concoct elaborate criminal plots, which are increasingly being exposed by methodical police work and technological scrutiny.
