Three gunshots were fired as three men tried to take away an ex-serviceman’s SUV forcibly on the busy Kharar-Chandigarh highway in Kharar on Tuesday night.
The victim, Vir Inder Pal Singh Walia, 42, of Sector 78, Mohali, was also stabbed in the right thigh, but he managed to foil the robbery bid.
Though injured, Walia, himself drove to a private hospital in Phase 6, Mohali, after the attack.
In his complaint to police, Walia mentioned that he had retired from the intelligence wing of Indian Air Force in 2014, after which he started a study visa consultancy in Kurali in 2015.
On Tuesday, he was on his way back home when he stopped near Bhagat Ghat, about half a kilometre from the Kharar bus stand, to urinate around 10:30pm.
“I was about to get back in the car when two men — one holding a pistol and the other a knife — approached me and instructed me to hand over the keys of my vehicle (a Toyota Fortuner),” Walia told police.
Walia said the accused aimed the pistol at him and threatened to kill him. “One of the accused tried to drive away in the vehicle, when the third accomplice walked up and entered into an argument with him. I tried to pull the accused out of the SUV and snatch his pistol, when three gunshots were fired, of which one hit the front door and the rear windscreen,” he said in his complaint.
“As I took on the accused, one of the other robbers stabbed me in the right thigh and fled after pushing me,” said Walia, adding that the trio drove away towards Kharar in a white car. As it was dark, he could not identify the make of the car or note its number.
{{/usCountry}}“As I took on the accused, one of the other robbers stabbed me in the right thigh and fled after pushing me,” said Walia, adding that the trio drove away towards Kharar in a white car. As it was dark, he could not identify the make of the car or note its number.
{{/usCountry}}Walia then made calls to his friends, informing them about the attack, and despite being injured, he drove to a hospital in Phase 6, Mohali, where he is undergoing treatment.
Walia told police that the accused were speaking in Hindi. A case has been registered under Section 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act.
“We are scanning CCTV footage of the area to get clues,” said Kharar (City) station house officer Baghwant Singh. Police have recovered two bullet shells from the spot. They are also investigating whether the attack took place due to some business rivalry.