A day after two masked men on a motorcycle allegedly opened fire outside a businessman’s house in Sector 38, Chandigarh, the Chandigarh Police has registered an FIR against gangster Lucky Patial and others. Partial is said to be operating the Davinder Bambiha gang from abroad.
The FIR has been registered under sections 109, 308(4), 351(3), 3(5), 61(2) BNS 25-27-54-59 of the Arms Act in the police station in Sector 39, Chandigarh on the complaint of Mohali-based businessman Manpreet Singh Saini. Teams of the Crime Branch and Operation Cell are also probing the case.
A police official said that during the investigation, four empty cartridges were found outside Saini’s house. The IP (internet protocol) address of the WhatsApp number from which the call was made to the complainant, was being traced, to ascertain the exact location of the accused.
According to the police, the assailants had opened fire at the house of Saini at his Sector 38 residence.
The police said that a few days before the shooting, the businessman had received a phone call from an international number. The caller allegedly identified himself as gangster Patial. The shooting was believed to be a retaliation for the businessman refusing to acknowledge or recognise the caller, police said. A few hours after the shooting, another call allegedly came from a foreign number, demanding Rs 2 crore in extortion money.
The businessman said the sound of the gunfire woke him up, but he assumed it was fireworks celebrating Guru Nanak Jayanti. Around 10.30 am on Wednesday, a tenant discovered broken glass on a parked Thar SUV and bullet shells on the ground. He immediately alerted the house owner. Upon reaching the spot, Saini found that two bullets had struck the walls of his house, while two others had hit his vehicle.
Soon after receiving information, teams from the Sector 39 police station, forensic unit, crime branch, operations cell, and district crime cell reached the scene. The forensic team collected bullet samples from the walls and vehicle and sent them for analysis. Four cartridge shells were recovered, though two are still missing.
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CCTV footage obtained from nearby cameras show that the two masked men on a bike arriving at 12.08 am, stopping briefly outside Saini’s house, firing multiple rounds, and then speeding away towards Sector 25.
Saini, a well-known businessman from the region, owns Regenta Hotel and Marriage Palace in Mohali. He is reportedly related to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) councillor Hardeep Singh Buttarla.
The brother of the complainant and a relative said that the whole family is in fear and have stopped picking calls from international numbers.
“It has happened for the first time that we have received such a call, and obviously we are in fear after it,” the relative said.
