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Ludhiana: 3 Batala residents arrested for firing at Ladhowal toll barrier
The firearm used in the crime, reportedly licenced, has not yet been recovered and its licensing details are under verification
Ludhiana
Two days after miscreants opened fire at staffers at the Ladhowal toll barrier, police have arrested all the three accused persons. The incident, initially reported as an act of intimidation by alleged VIPs refusing to pay toll, has taken a new turn, with the arrested men claiming they were assaulted by toll staff over an overcharging dispute.
The accused—Amitpal Singh, Aditya Mohan and Satnam Singh, all residents of Batala—were returning from a wedding in Patiala when the altercation erupted. Toll plaza employees had earlier alleged that one of the men boasted of being a ‘chairman of some board,’ refused to pay the toll plaza and opened fire when asked to produce a valid VIP card.
According to additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP, City 3) Kanwalpreet Singh, all the three accused were found injured at the time of arrest. “The trio has been arrested for firing at least three gunshots after an argument with toll barrier staff. They claim they were beaten by toll plaza employees during a dispute over overcharging and that the firing was a reaction to the assault,” he said.
The firearm used in the crime, reportedly licenced, has not yet been recovered and its licensing details are under verification.
Police are also scrutinising CCTV footage from the toll plaza to verify the counter-allegations made by the accused. “Both sets of allegations are being investigated. Footage from the toll plaza will help establish the sequence of events,” the ADCP added.
All three arrested men are between 21 and 25 years old. While Aditya Mohan is a student, Amitpal and Satnam are engaged in agriculture. Preliminary investigations suggest that Aditya fired the shots, though police are still confirming his role and determining who legally possessed the firearm.
A case has been registered at the Ladhowal police station under Sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 191(3) (rioting with deadly weapons), 190 (unlawful assembly), and Section 25 of the Arms Act, based on a complaint by toll barrier employee Sikandar Singh.
