Twin firings in Mohali, Chandigarh: Cops to probe shooters’ link with jail inmates
According to police officials privy to the probe, after questioning of the accused, Ritwik and Aman, police may also seek production warrants of Vikas and Suraj for questioning to verify whether they directed the duo to execute the attack
Chandigarh Police are working to establish the connection between Model Jail inmates Vikas and Suraj and the two youths — Ritwik Bhardwaj and Aman — who carried out the firings at gym operator Vicky in Mohali and later at his associate Veeru’s hotel in Kajheri, Chandigarh, in the early hours of Thursday.
Investigators believe the conspiracy to attack Vicky may have been hatched inside the jail.
On Friday, police obtained four-day remand of Ritwik and Aman, and recovered two pistols from their possession. A senior official said, “We are going to interrogate the accused and establish whether there was any direct role of Vikas and Suraj as claimed by the victim’s family.”
According to police officials privy to the probe, after questioning of the accused, Ritwik and Aman, police may also seek production warrants of Vikas and Suraj for questioning to verify whether they directed the duo to execute the attack.
The arrested shooters, Ritwik and Aman, had posted videos on Instagram soon after the incident, openly claiming responsibility and alleging that Vicky and his associates were involved in illegal activities. However, Vicky’s family maintains that the attack was the result of a long-standing enmity with Vikas and Suraj.
On Thursday morning, around 4.50 am, Vicky, 36, was shot outside his Muscle Mania gym in Phase 2, Mohali. The duo, riding a sports bike, fired at least five rounds, four of which struck Vicky’s leg. Just 17 minutes later, at 5.05 am, the same assailants opened fire at Hotel Diljot Residency in Kajheri, co-owned by Vicky’s associate Veeru, shattering its glass facade.
The victim’s family has named Vikas and Suraj, alleging that they orchestrated the firing from jail. The enmity dates back to a 2022 case when an auto driver close to Vicky was attacked by Vikas and his associates. According to his family, Vicky refused to withdraw his testimony despite pressure from Vikas’s family, which deepened the rift. Matters escalated after Vikas’s mother died during his custody period. His sisters allegedly vowed revenge, blaming Vicky for their brother’s imprisonment and their mother’s stress-related death.
