New Delhi: The North district police has averted an international hit in a midnight showdown, foiling a targeted killing just hours before a Rohini-based businessman was to be gunned down. Two shooters were apprehended after a cat-and-mouse chase across the city.Confirming the developments, joint commissioner Madhur Verma said, “The hit was orchestrated by fugitive gangster Himanshu Bhau from his overseas lair. He sent two armed hitmen, including a 16-year-old juvenile, to eliminate the businessman after he refused to pay extortion money.” The other shooter has been identified as 26-year-old Pradeep alias Kaali.The businessman has been under police protection since March after receiving death threats from the Bhau gang, which demanded Rs 5 crore as “protection money”. The gangster later lowered his demand, but no payment was made.Investigation revealed that the hitmen travelled with the help of an underground network of handlers, switching getaway cars and receiving semi-automatic pistols at highway toll plazas. “Acting on a tip-off, a team led by inspector Rohit Saraswat and ACP Vishesh Dhatterwal intercepted and caught the two shooters in Nehru Vihar in Timarpur before they could execute the hit,” said additional DCP Niharika Bhatt.The foiled plot exposes the digital recruitment pipeline of the fugitive gangster, who orchestrates localised terror in Delhi from his overseas hideout. The two shooters were inducted into the gang through social media. “They operated under direct instructions from Bhau and an overseas associate, Monu, who coordinated the logistical details seamlessly via WhatsApp,” Verma said.The journey to the intended crime scene was a structured relay of underground logistics across Haryana. Instructed by Bhau, the juvenile met Pradeep in Jind, where local handlers arranged their stay. The next day, a black Baleno picked them up and an occupant handed the teenager his first pistol.“At the Lakhan Majra toll plaza, a second vehicle — a Hyundai i10 — was waiting to supply Pradeep with his weapon. Drivers and vehicles swapped again at Sampla village, funnelling the armed hitmen directly towards Delhi,” Bhatt added.The shooters were dropped near Mukarba Chowk and made their way to Timarpur, where they expected to meet local handlers who would have guided them to the businessman’s location, sources said. Instead, they walked directly into a police ambush.
