GHAZIABAD: A 35-year-old man, out on bail in an extortion case, was shot five times by alleged assailants outside a roadside eatery in Modinagar on Thursday night. Despite severe injuries, he managed to drive himself over 25 kilometres to a hospital, police said.
The victim, Rahul Chaudhary, a resident of Raj Nagar Extension, sustained bullet wounds to his neck, chest, abdomen and leg. Bleeding heavily, he drove for more than 30 minutes to Yashoda Hospital in Sanjay Nagar, where he underwent emergency surgery and remains in critical condition.
According to Modinagar ACP Bhaskar Verma, CCTV footage from the Seekri Kalan area near NH-58 shows two men waiting near a scooter outside Swagat Dhaba when Chaudhary arrived in his SUV around 9.30 pm. One of them approached and opened the driver-side door. Moments later, a third man walked up and fired multiple shots at close range while Chaudhary was still seated inside.
The attacker then walked away calmly, while the other two fled on the scooter. The area was busy at the time, with several vehicles passing by.
Remarkably, Chaudhary managed to start his vehicle and drive himself to the hospital. Staff told police he entered through the main gate unaided, stepped out, called for help, and then collapsed.
Initial investigations suggest Chaudhary had gone to the dhaba to collect Rs 75,000 from two men he had been in contact with.
His wife, Karishma, alleged that Vinay Vashishth and Arvind Saini had called him to meet that evening. She claimed that during the meeting, the accused, along with Ashwani Chauhan and others, opened fire on him. She further alleged that Jalbeer Pandit, Ravi Valmiki and Peetam Saini were behind the larger conspiracy.
Police records show Chaudhary has been named in 18 criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder and extortion, across multiple police stations in Ghaziabad. He had been acquitted in seven cases and was arrested six months ago in an extortion case before being released on bail two months prior to the attack.
Based on Karishma’s complaint, an FIR has been registered under relevant sections related to attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy against the named accused and two unidentified individuals.
Five police teams have been formed to trace and arrest those involved. Authorities are also analysing CCTV footage from nearby areas to identify the shooter and track the suspects, Verma added.
