A 34-year-old woman, a mother of two, was shot while heading to a neighborhood market on her scooter near Dwarka Expressway in Gurgaon on Friday night, police reported on Saturday.
According to police, the woman, estranged from her husband for several years, was in a relationship with one of the accused who wanted to eliminate her. Four individuals, including the main suspect, Nitish Bharadwaj, a lawyer, were arrested on Saturday, stated Gurgaon police spokesperson ASI Sandeep.
The woman, Pallavi Sharma, is currently hospitalized in Sector 100 with serious injuries. Sharma, originally from Mohali in Punjab, had worked as a beautician but was unemployed at the time of the incident, police said. She resides with her children, aged 12 and seven, in a residential society in Sector 99.
Police reported that around 9:30 PM on Friday, two men on a bike followed Sharma and shot her.
Besides Bharadwaj, who hails from Vishnu Garden, the other suspects are Gulshan Thakur, Raja, and Banti, residents of Jyoti Park, Saraswati Enclave, and Pataudi Chowk, respectively.
“During questioning, the other accused told police that Bharadwaj was allegedly involved in planning the attack. Sharma first approached Bharadwaj for help a few years ago after being assaulted by her husband. They soon got into a relationship. However, of late, Bharadwaj had started to grow distant from her and wanted to end the relationship. Sharma, though, was keen on continuing it,” said the ASI.
“Irked by her behaviour, Bharadwaj made a plan to murder her. Earlier, he had also attempted to stage an accident to kill her but failed. Later, he conspired with Gulshan through another associate to execute the murder. Gulshan provided Raja and Banti with a motorcycle and weapons to carry out the attack,” he claimed.
The police team at Rajendra Park police station on Friday received information from the control room that a woman had been shot near a petrol pump on the Dwarka Expressway.
“On reaching the scene of the crime, the police found that the injured woman had already been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The police secured the crime scene and called over the forensics team for inspection. The victim’s scooter and slippers were retrieved as per procedure,” said ASI Sandeep. “For further investigation, the police team went to the hospital but the injured woman was not in a condition to provide a statement. On Saturday, her father arrived at the hospital and filed a written complaint. Investigation into the allegations is underway,” he added.
A senior police officer mentioned that the woman separated from her husband around four years ago and had been living with her two sons since then.
An FIR has been registered under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) and relevant sections of the Arms Act following the complaint by her father, Rajkumar.