Gym owner shot at in Mohali firing, assailants at large

Two motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at the gym owner, who was seated in his car, in the Phase 2 market near Franco Hotel in Mohali around 5am on Thursday.

A 35-year-old gym owner was injured when two motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire on him in the parking near Franco Hotel in Phase 2 of Mohali adjoining Chandigarh on Thursday morning, police said.

Police at the crime spot after the two motorcycle-borne attackers shot at a gym owner while he was seated in his car in the parking of the Phase 2 market in Mohali on Thursday morning. (HT Photo)

According to eyewitnesses, the armed attackers arrived on a sports motorcycle around 5am and began firing without any warning at the Maruti Baleno car in which the gym owner, identified as Vicky, was sitting. Shocked passersby ran for cover as multiple gunshots rang out. The attackers fled immediately after the firing.

CCTV footage confirmed that at least five rounds were fired.

One of the bullets hit Vicky in the leg. The eyewitnesses rushed to his aid and took him to a nearby hospital. Panic gripped the area as the crime spot bore signs of the violent attack, with bloodstains on the road, scattered debris, and a broken car mirror lying nearby.

Alarmed residents, the incident had left them shaken as the area near Franco Hotel, one of the oldest in the town, is considered a safe locality. They expressed concern that the assailants could flee easily despite firing multiple shots.

The hotel at Kajheri village in Sector 52. Chandigarh, where two motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire soon after the Mohali firing incident on Thursday morning.

Firing outside Chandigarh hotel triggers panic

Panic gripped Kajheri area in Chandigarh’s Sector 52 minutes after the firing in Phase 2, Mohali, early on Thursday when unidentified assailants opened fire outside Hotel Diljot Residency. No one was injured in the incident.

CCTV footage from the area showed two men arriving on a motorcycle, firing five rounds at the hotel entrance, and fleeing within seconds.

Police said the hotel is owned by Veeru, a friend of Vicky, the gym owner shot in Mohali.

The back-to-back shootings have put the spotlight on a possible gang rivalry or personal enmity involving the two.

A forensic team later lifted cartridges and other evidence from the spot.

Police are analysing CCTV footage to establish the attackers’ identities and the route they took to escape.