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Ludhiana: Two months on, key accused in wedding shootout still on the run
Kin of slain hosiery businessman Vasu Chopra protest outside police chief’s office seeking arrest of accused, allege police inaction and political shielding
Even as the Ludhiana police on Monday rolled out “Operation Prahaar 2.0”, projecting it as a renewed crackdown on gangsters, the family of a victim killed in a shootout between two gangs at a wedding on Pakhowal Road alleged that the main accused continue to roam free more than two months after the crime.
The kin of Vasu Chopra, one of the two guests killed in the firing, staged a protest outside the office of the commissioner of police, accusing the police of inaction and shielding the prime accused due to alleged political patronage.
The protest was led by Vasu Chopra’s wife Sheetal Chopra, his brother-in-law Parul Malhotra and other family members, who reached the commissioner of police’s office around 12.30 pm carrying photographs of the deceased and demanding immediate arrests. Following the demonstration, senior police officials arranged a meeting between the family and police commissioner Swapan Sharma.
Vasu Chopra, 32, a hosiery businessman, was killed on November 30, 2025, when a gang rivalry escalated into a gun battle at a wedding hosted by contractor Varinder Kapoor at a resort on Pakhowal Road. The clash, involving gangster Shubham Arora, alias Shubham Mota, and his rival Ankur, saw more than 30 rounds fired, leaving Chopra and Kapoor’s aunt, Neeru Chhabra of Jalandhar, dead.
Parul Malhotra alleged that despite the lapse of over two months, the police have failed to arrest the main accused. “Except for Ankur’s arrest, none of the key accused has been taken into custody. Shubham Mota, who is facing 16 FIRs, is still absconding. Jatinder Kumar Dawar alias JK Dawar, whose licensed weapon was used in the crime, remains admitted to a hospital, while other accused are moving freely,” he said.
The family further alleged that political influence was obstructing the investigation. “Some of the accused are known to enjoy proximity to leaders of the ruling party. This is why the investigation is being deliberately slowed down. Even the groom, Varinder Kapoor, who had allegedly invited rival gangs to the wedding, was initially named in the FIR but later dropped,” Malhotra claimed.
The family also accused the police of keeping them in the dark. “The police themselves are the complainants in this case. We do not know whose names are being added or removed from the case. In over two months, no officer has recorded our statements,” Malhotra said.
Vasu’s widow, Sheetal Chopra, said the family would continue its agitation until justice was delivered. “We will not stop until my husband’s killers are arrested,” she said.
According to the family, the police commissioner sought three days’ time to arrest the remaining accused.
