The Chandigarh Police has solved the June 13 murder of a cashier at a chemist shop, with the arrest of two alleged shooters following a dramatic escape attempt and a subsequent encounter.
Inspector General of Police (IG) Pushpendra Kumar said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted soon after the incident to crack the case.
During the probe, investigations traced the movement of the accused, who had fled Chandigarh immediately after commission of the crime.
According to police, the accsued first travelled to Delhi by bus after the killing and later boarded a train to Jammu in an attempt to to evade arrest.
The SIT tracked them down and arrested the duo – identified as Sunny Mehra and Aryan Sharma – from Jammu.
Police said while the accused were being brough back to Chandigarh, the vehicle carrying them met with an accident. Taking advantage of the situation, the two accused allegedly snatched a weapon and tried to escape, leading to an encounter
In the ensuing encounter, the accused fired two rounds at the police, which was retaliated with four rounds, injuring both in the leg, police said. The injured accused have been admitted to a hospital and are undergoing treatment.
Investigators said preliminary findings indicate that Sunny Mehra was the one who fired the fatal shot that killed the cashier. Police also confirmed that neither of the two accused has any prior criminal record.
Meanwhile, investigators are examining audio clips containing alleged threat messages linked to the case. One more accused is on the run, and efforts are ongoing to trace and arrest him, police said.
A cashier of a famous medical store in Chandigarh was shot dead by two attackers inside the shop on June 13. The incident took place in broad daylight in Sector 11, one of the city’s busiest markets.
The incident was caught on CCTV, which shows two men entering the shop and opening fire at the cashier, identified as Janaki Dass, a native of Himachal Pradesh’s Rohru.
The attack took place at around 2:30 pm. Three attackers had arrived at the shop on a motorcycle. After the killing, the assailants fled on the motorcycle with the accomplice who was waiting outside.
Further investigation in the case is ongoing.
