Man shot at by two snatchers in Sector 15

A 34-year-old businessman was shot at by two unidentified bike-borne men when he resisted their attempt to snatch his bag on Thursday evening in Sector 15, Part-2, said the police, adding that the bag contained ₹60,000 cash

A 34-year-old businessman was shot at by two unidentified bike-borne men when he resisted their attempt to snatch his bag on Thursday evening in Sector 15, Part-2, said the police, adding that the bag contained ₹60,000 cash.

HT Image

The incident took place around 7pm, when the victim, Pankaj Gupta, a resident of Patel Nagar in Sector 15, was returning home from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, where he works at a currency exchange company. As soon as he took a right turn from Jharsa Chowk, he saw two men on a motorcycle following him. Later they tried to intercept his scooter.

Gupta said he initially thought that they were asking him for an address but then the pillion rider asked him to hand over the bag. “Before I could shout for help they tried to pull my bag. As a result, I lost control and fell on the road. The suspects tried to pull at the strings of the bag. When I resisted, they assaulted me. I shouted for help but no one came forward,” he said.

Meanwhile, one of the snatchers allegedly took out his gun and threatened Gupta. But when he did not any pay heed to his threats, he allegedly pumped a bullet into his right arm.

Ravi Kumar, one of the auto-rickshaw drivers who witnessed the incident, said after a few vehicles gathered at the spot, the suspects fled from the spot. “I had parked my auto-rickshaw on the other side of the road. Shopkeepers and passersby had stopped to help the victim but after the gunshot everyone got scared and left the spot,” he said.

Gupta sustained a bullet on his right arm. He requested passersby to inform his father regarding the incident.

Gupta alleged that although the police control room (PCR) van was stationed hardly 50 metres away from the spot, no one came forward for help. “The police team reached the spot after the suspects. They seemed to have a casual approach and did not even try to follow the suspects,” he said.

The victim’s father, Ravinder Gupta (62), who works in a garment shop in Sadar market, reached the spot within 15 minutes and took his son to a private hospital. “My son will get operated on his right arm on Saturday and a rod will be fixed as his arm is fractured and cannot be cured through plaster,” he said, adding that his condition was stable.

The area in Sector 15, where the incident took place, had reported similar incidents in the past. A case under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code and sections of Arms Act was registered at Civil Lines police station on Thursday night.

KK Rao, commissioner of police, said prima facie, it appeared that the suspects were following Gupta from Delhi but did not get a chance to target him. “They tried to intercept his scooter, when he applied brakes at a speed-breaker near Sector 15. They asked him to hand over the bag several times and later shot at him. We are scanning CCTV footage to identify the suspects and crime teams are working on it,” he said.

The police also rebutted the allegations made by the victim that the police had a casual attitude.“The police teams were active and within minutes had informed the crime units to reach the spot. A dog squad and forensic team were also called on the spot to collect samples and scan CCTV footage,” said Rao.