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Ludhiana: 2 bike-borne men open fire at visa consultancy, cops launch probe
Pillion rider fires multiple rounds at Model Town Extension premises; police probe link to past extortion calls and family dispute
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Two unidentified motorcycle-borne men opened fire at a visa consultancy office in Ludhiana’s Model Town Extension on Sunday night, police said. The owner of Rightway Immigration, Bhanav Ahuja, told police after the incident that he had been receiving extortion and threat calls for the past four months.
According to police, the incident came to light on Monday morning when employees arrived at the office and found a shattered windowpane. They alerted the police who reached the spot and recovered bullet shells and live rounds from outside the office premises.
According to the police, an examination of CCTV footage revealed that the assailants arrived at the office on a motorcycle around 11.30 pm on Sunday. The pillion-rider got off the motorcycle, approached the premises and fired two to three rounds at the building while his accomplice recorded the attack on his mobile phone. The two then fled on the motorcycle.
Employees said Ahuja had been receiving extortion calls from unidentified callers, some of which were also made to the office landline. They said that Ahuja had not been coming to the office for the past three months.
The employees also expressed concern about their security following the firing.
Assistant commissioner of police (Civil Lines) Sarbajit Singh said, “We are investigating the case from all angles. The owner claimed that he had received extortion threats a few months ago, but he had neither lodged a formal complaint nor approached the police regarding the matter. We have also found that he is involved in an ongoing matrimonial dispute. We are investigating whether it has any connection with the firing.”
“The police are examining CCTV footage from the surrounding area to identify the assailants and trace their route. They are also recording the owner’s statement to establish the motive behind the attack,” he said.
Model Town police station house officer Gurshinder Kaur said further details would emerge after the victim’s statement was recorded.
An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons under Sections 25 (offences relating to arms and ammunition), Section 27 (use of arms or ammunition in contravention of the law), Section 54 (liability of an abettor present when an offence is committed) and Section 59 (concealment of a criminal design by a public servant) of the relevant Acts.
Recent firing incidents reported in Ludhiana
The latest incident comes amid other cases of firing and alleged extortion reported in the city in recent months.
On August 19, three motorcycle-borne men opened fire inside a restaurant in Bhai Randhir Singh (BRS) Nagar, firing three rounds before fleeing. No customer or employee was injured.
On July 16, unidentified assailants opened fire near the residence of a prominent marble trader in South City. A bullet struck the security post at the main gate of the house, while the security guard on duty escaped unhurt.
Earlier, on June 3, a scrap dealer was allegedly attacked inside his shop in Kila Mohalla by Shiva Bhatti and his associates after he refused to pay extortion money, commonly known as “hafta”. Bhatti was out on bail at the time of the incident.
