Bizman hires murder convict to attack partner

NEW DELHI:: A ₹1-crore payment dispute between two Delhi-based business partners angered one of them so much that he allegedly hired seven criminals, including TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan murder convict Amit Shukla who is lodged in Tihar jail, to threaten his partner and extort ₹2.5 crore, police said on Monday.

On February 23, three of the alleged criminals —at the behest of Shukla and his inmate, Naveen Dabas—went to the second-floor flat of the businessman in central Delhi’s Rajendra Nagar and opened fire when he opened the door. One attacker fired three bullets, injuring the man and his 12-year-old nephew, police said.

The other assailant filmed the shooting on his phone. The 28-second video released by police show someone holding a gun and firing at the man and his nephew.

After the firing, the trio walked out of the building, sat on a scooter and fled without resistance.

The police learnt about the extortion bid when the businessman said he had been receiving threat Whatsapp calls demanding ₹2.5 crore as extortion since January from a man who introduced himself as a “notorious criminal”. The businessman never informed police about it, deputy commissioner of police (central) Sanjay Bhatia said.

On Monday, the police said they had arrested the jailed gangsters, the businessman, Abhay Arora, who wanted revenge on his partner, the three attackers – Varun Vashisht, Nitesh Phore and Ankit – and two others, identified as Lakhan Verma and Sushil alias Sillu. One pistol with three cartridges, the scooter and five cellphones were used in the crime, DCP Bhatia said.