Chandigarh: Late-night firing at hotelier’s home in Sector 38
Police suspect the role of the Bambiha gang behind the firing as the victim claimed to have earlier received an extortion call.
Four shots were fired outside hotelier Tara Singh Saini’s residence in Sector 38 during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. Saini owns the Regenta Place Hotel at TDI City, Sector 119, Mohali.
While the hotelier and his family were at home at the time of the incident, no injuries were reported. The bullets struck a Thar vehicle, belonging to Saini’s tenant, besides the wall and gates of the house.
Police suspect the role of the Bambiha gang behind the firing as the victim claimed to have earlier received an extortion call.
A senior police official, privy to the matter, said that on October 28, Saini had received a call from an unknown number. The caller had identified himself as Lucky Patial but Saini had hung up, stating that he did not know anyone by that name. It was only after he complained to the Mohali police that he discovered Patial’s links as a gangster. Cops, meanwhile, are verifying if the call was a hoax.
Saini is the cousin of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Hardeep Singh. Recalling the events of the night, Singh said that their families were attending a function till 11.30 pm after which they had returned home and gone to sleep. While none of them heard any gunshots, they learnt of the incident only around 10 am on Wednesday when Saini’s tenant found a bullet mark on his Thar. On checking closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the house, they found that two men on a bike had arrived around 12.30 am, fired four rounds and fled. Police found the bullet shells at the spot.
Saini told cops that though the Thar that was shot belonged to the tenants, he also owns a vehicle of the same make and colour.
UT senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur confirmed that four bullet shells were recovered from the spot. She added that they are checking with the Mohali police regarding the alleged extortion call.
A case has been registered under the Arms Act and Section 109 (attempt to murder) and 308 (extortion) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Sector 39 police station against the two unidentified assailants.
