Gang war: Three held for murder bid on 20-year-old man in Ludhiana

Four days on, three men were arrested on Wednesday for opening fire at a 20-year-old man on Benjamin Road over an inter-gang rivalry

Four days on, three men were arrested on Wednesday for opening fire at a 20-year-old man on Benjamin Road over an inter-gang rivalry.

The men accused of attempt to murder in custody of Ludhiana police. (HT Photo)

The accused have been identified as Karandeep Kalia alias Karan of Harikartar Colony and Kunal Sharma alias Abhay and Sameer Malik, both residents of Dharampura area. Police have recovered a .32 bore pistol and two live bullets from their possession. Their aide Vishu Kainth is yet to be arrested. The accused are members of Shubham Arora alias Shubham Mota gang.

Police commissioner Kautubh Sharma said that the victim, Kartik Baggan, is an aide of gangster Puneet Bains and the shooting was a result of the rivalry between the two gangs. He said that in May, 2021, Kartik and his accomplices, also members of Puneet Bains gang, had assaulted Karandeep and captured a video. They were blackmailing Karan by threatening to post the video social media.

Sharma said that Kanti, Baggan’s father, had alleged that after shooting and injuring his son, the accused had made a video call to Shubham Arora, who is lodged in Ludhiana Central Jail, but it hasn’t been confirmed yet. Kanti had lodged a complaint against Shubham Mota and some others also, but their role is yet to be confirmed.

After the shooting, members of the Puneet Bains gang had put up posts on social networking sites stating that they will avenge the attack on Kartik.