The victim, Manoj, was involved in the sale of Addnok tablets — which is mixed with other solvents and injected. (File) The victim, Manoj, was involved in the sale of Addnok tablets — which is mixed with other solvents and injected. (File) A plan to outsmart his alleged drug rival proved fatal for a 30-year-old man, who staged his own shooting and later succumbed to injuries in northeast Delhi’s Khajoori Khas on Monday night. The victim, Manoj, was involved in the sale of Addnok tablets — which is mixed with other solvents and injected. Police said Manoj and his family have been in the drug trade for several years, and have been fighting with their rivals for market dominance. According to police, Manoj hired two men and paid them Rs 20,000. “They shot him twice. But as it was too dark, the second bullet pierced his heart,” said a police officer. Police said the plan was hatched by the victim, his first wife and her husband, her mother, elder sister and brother. DCP (northeast) Ajay Kumar Thakur said, “The family has been detained. A search is on for the two shooters.” Police said the family made an elaborate plan to stage the shooting and pin it on their rivals — they took a house on rent in Khajoori Khas, roped in the shooters and cooked up a back story to explain the incident. The family decided that Manoj and Ajay would stage a robbery attempt near Pushta road. Manoj’s first wife, Sunita, had handed over Rs 20,000 to the shooters. They decided that two shots — one to the hand and the other to the shoulder — would be inflicted to make the shooting realistic, police said. However, after Manoj died of his injuries, his brother-in-law Ajay made a PCR call around 12.30 am. “He claimed his friend had been shot dead by three bike-borne men,” said an officer. Ajay told police that the victim was a friend and he had known him for three months. However, when the family was questioned, they said he was their relative. “Ajay then contradicted his earlier statement and said they were only two assailants, raising our suspicion,” the officer said. Police said the family was then cross-questioned about the discrepancies, and they confessed to the plan. Manoj’s body has been sent to the local mortuary, said police, adding that his family may face a jail sentence. His second wife, however, has been given a clean chit by police. In a similar incident last week, a 32-year-old man staged his own shooting with the help of a friend, so he could put the blame on his elder brother and acquire his property. The man was shot in the abdomen and his friend was arrested on Monday, police said. For all the latest Delhi News, download Indian Express App

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