Mohali: Close shave for retd banker as bullet pierces her window
The woman, Neelam Sharma, said she was sitting on a dining table chair in her Kharar flat around 12.10 am, scrolling apps on her mobile phone, when she heard a loud sound
In a shocking incident, a retired banker narrowly escaped death after a bullet pierced through her apartment window in Omega City, Kharar, past Wednesday midnight.
After piercing the window glass, the bullet, suspected to have been fired from a .32-bore weapon, hit a wall near the victim’s chair, where she was sitting, waiting for her son to return home from work.
While police are working to ascertain who fired the gunshot, they said the bullet was fired from quite a distance.
The woman, Neelam Sharma, who retired as deputy manager from Punjab National Bank, said she was sitting on a dining table chair around 12.10 am, scrolling apps on her mobile phone, when she heard a loud sound. Initially thinking it was a stone hitting a bulb, she crouched in shock.
Upon noticing smoke in the room and a hole in a curtain, she discovered a window glass had been damaged.
Neelam said she woke up her daughter, while her husband was sleeping, and they informed the building security who further alerted the police.
{{/usCountry}}Neelam said she woke up her daughter, while her husband was sleeping, and they informed the building security who further alerted the police.
{{/usCountry}}“We were all shocked to find a bullet shell in the house. It was scary. This is a serious law and order situation, as residents are not safe in their own houses,” said Neelam.
Her husband, Raj Kumar Sharma, who retired as manager, finance, from Milkfed, Shimla, told police that his wife was waiting for their son to return from his night shift, as she slept only after serving him dinner.
“The incident has left us shaken. We don’t have enmity with anyone, but it seems someone targeted us from a distance. We want a detailed investigation,” he said.
Not a targeted attack: Police
Meanwhile, Kharar DSP Karan Singh Sandhu said as per preliminary probe, it was not a targeted attack.
“Based on the bullet’s trajectory, it seems someone fired in the air. We have already started a thorough investigation to ascertain who fired the shot and are registering a case against the unknown accused at the Kharar City police station. We have sent the bullet shell to the forensic lab to determine the weapon used in the crime,” he said.
Another police officer said even the guards of the society were questioned and the CCTV cameras were checked. “The guards did not spot anyone around at the time of the incident. There are around 500 flats in the society and residents had retired for the night. It seems to be a case of celebratory firing,” the officer added.
The incident led to panic in the housing society, with worried visitors continuing to check on the family through Thursday.
This is the second firing incident in Kharar in two days. On Wednesday, police had arrested two Kharar residents for allegedly firing multiple rounds during a birthday celebration in Desu Majra.
