Four men have been arrested for attempting to murder property dealer Manoj Nagar, 50, in Mahalaxmi Nagar following a bitter business dispute, police said on Sunday.
The attack occurred on September 24, when Nagar was returning home from work. Near Apollo DB City Road, a white car coming from the wrong direction deliberately collided with his vehicle. When Nagar stepped out to confront the driver, one of the assailants rolled up the window while another threw chili powder in his eyes.
As Nagar struggled to see, a man on a scooter wearing a helmet arrived and opened fire, hitting Nagar in the hands and abdomen. The attackers fled the scene, and bystanders rushed Nagar to Bombay Hospital for emergency treatment.
Following the incident, police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched an investigation.
On Saturday, acting on a tip-off, police arrested the main accused, Vinay alias Sonu Rathore, 35, near Chaudhary Dhaba on the bypass road, along with Shubham Khedkar (31), Yuvraj alias Raj Bachha, and Arvind Parmar. A 15-year-old minor involved in the attack had been detained earlier.
Police recovered a country-made pistol, revolver, three live cartridges, and the scooter used in the attack.
During interrogation, Rathore revealed that he and Nagar were former business partners with long-standing disputes over several high-value property deals. Rathore accused Nagar of sabotaging his transactions and causing financial losses, which allegedly drove him to orchestrate the attack.
Two days before the shooting, the group met at Parmar’s house to plan the assault. Roles were assigned: Parmar handled reconnaissance, Yuvraj drove the car used to block the victim, the minor threw chili powder, and Rathore fired three shots.
Rathore has multiple prior cases under the Gambling Act, Excise Act, and Arms Act, while Khedkar also has a criminal history involving assault and illegal arms possession.
All accused were produced in court, and police are seeking custody for further interrogation.
