Gunmen strike twice within an hour in Mohali, Chandigarh; leave gym owner injured

Early morning firings rattle Mohali, Chandigarh; both accused, one of them already serving life sentence in a 2019 murder case, arrested within 10 hours; victim stable

A 36-year-old gym owner was injured after two masked motorcycle-borne youths opened fire at a gym in Mohali’s Phase 2 and, within an hour, at a hotel in Chandigarh’s Kajheri on early Thursday.

A forensic team taking samples from the crime scene outside the victim’s gym in Phase 2, Mohali. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

Acting swiftly, Chandigarh Police’s operation cell arrested the accused, one of them a murder convict, within 10 hours of the brazen incident.

The accused were identified as Ritvik Bhardwaj, alias Billa, and Aman, both residents of Burail village, Chandigarh.

In November 2021, Bhardwaj, along with three others, was convicted of the 2019 murder of a 27-year-old youth in Sector 40 and awarded life imprisonment by a local court. He is currently out on parole.

Police said the Thursday attack was retaliation of a long-running feud in the victim’s neighbourhood.

Target victim at his gym

Around 4.55 am, Vicky, a resident of Sector 49, drove his Maruti Suzuki Baleno into the parking lot outside his gym “Muscle Mania” on Franco Road, Phase 2, Mohali.

The shots were fired as the victim was heading into his gym in Phase 2, Mohali. (HT)

The accused, riding a sports bike followed the car, circled the area twice and then opened fire at Vicky. The assailants fired five bullets within roughly a minute, four of which struck Vicky’s right leg near the thigh.

A gym trainer alerted Vicky’s brother Banti, and he was rushed on a bike to the civil hospital in Phase 6. After about four hours of treatment there, doctors referred him to PGIMER, Chandigarh, where he underwent surgery. Hospital sources said his condition is stable and out of danger.

The victim, Vicky. (HT)

Fire shots at friend’s hotel within an hour

Shortly after the Mohali shooting, the same duo opened fire at Hotel Diljot Residency in Kajheri, run by Vicky’s friend Veeru.

The accused discharged around five rounds, shattering glass panels and sending staff and guests scurrying for cover. Veeru’s brother-in-law, Bhagat, who was present at the hotel counter, hid behind the stairs to protect himself. No injuries were reported at the hotel.

Around 5 am, police received the first reports of gunfire and rushed teams to both locations.

Vicky’s brother Banti told investigators that their family was being repeatedly threatened by their neighbours over old disputes. Banti alleged that their neighbours, named Vikas and Suraj, both currently lodged in Model Jail, Chandigarh, had been issuing threats and orchestrated the Thursday attack from behind the bars.

Later in the day, a video surfaced on Instagram, with Ritvik and Aman, claiming to be brothers, taking responsibility for both the Mohali and Chandigarh firings. In the video they accused the owners of the Mohali gym and the Chandigarh hotel of promoting drug sales and running prostitution rackets, saying such activities were “spoiling the environment” of both cities. In another post, they accused Vicky of inappropriate behaviour and illegal business dealings. However, police have not verified the authenticity of the video.

Mohali SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans confirmed that the victim’s family has named Suraj and Vikas, who were already in jail. “We are scanning CCTV footage and coordinating with Chandigarh Police to verify all aspects,” he said.

An attempt to murder case has been registered by the Mohali police, while their Chandigarh counterparts have booked the accused under the Arms Act.

Attack fallout of long-running feud between neighbours

Investigators and family members pointed to a long-standing enmity between neighbours as the primary motive behind the twin shootings.

The victim, Vicky, a resident of Sector 49, had earlier refused to withdraw a complaint against his neighbours, Vikas and Suraj, both currently lodged in Model Jail, Chandigarh, after they were accused of assaulting an auto driver close to him.

This refusal reportedly angered Vikas’s family, who held Vicky responsible for his imprisonment and even blamed him for the stress that led to their mother’s death.

As per further details, Vikas’s sisters “made him swear in court that vengeance would only be complete if Vicky was eliminated”. This festering grudge, combined with disputes over parking lots and hotel business rivalry in Chandigarh’s Kajheri area, is believed to have sparked the attack on Vicky and the subsequent firing at his friend Veeru’s hotel.

However, the alleged shooters, through an Instagram video, accused the victims of being involved in drug trafficking and prostitution.