New Delhi:
Two alleged associates of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang have been arrested for allegedly opening fire outside a gym linked to Punjabi singer Guru Randhawa in Paschim Vihar, police said on Wednesday. One of the arrested men had returned from Russia less than two weeks before the incident.
Police said the accused, Arman (19) and Tushar alias Tashu alias Pinku (21), both residents of Sonipat district in Haryana, were apprehended in Bahadurgarh after a manhunt.
According to police, the duo are alleged shooters linked to gangster Anil Pandit, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang who is believed to be operating from the United States.
Police said two motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly opened fire outside a gym on Outer Ring Road in Paschim Vihar around 4 am on June 11 and fled the scene; no one was injured, and seven empty cartridges were recovered.
Police said a case was registered at Paschim Vihar East police station in outer Delhi.
The incident drew attention after a social media post allegedly made by Anil Pandit went viral, claiming responsibility for the attack on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, police said.
Pandit allegedly claimed that the firing at the gym was carried out by those associated with Guru Randhawa and referred to the singer’s purported proximity to Bollywood actor Salman Khan, whom the gang considers an adversary.
Recognising the possible organised crime angle, the Crime Branch took over the investigation.
Police said investigators reconstructed the assailants’ escape route, examined technical evidence and tracked their movements across nearly 100 kilometres.
The probe led to the identification of four suspects: Sahil, Sagar, Arman and Tushar. Police raided the Bahadurgarh area on June 15 and apprehended Arman and Tushar. During interrogation, both allegedly admitted to their involvement in the firing, police said.
According to investigators, Arman is a cousin of the other two suspected shooters, Sahil and Sagar, who are absconding.
Police said Tushar had recently returned to India from Russia, where he had been working after travelling on a study visa, and he allegedly contacted Sahil and Sagar shortly before the firing incident and became involved in the conspiracy.
Police said both accused have been remanded to police custody and are being questioned to unravel the broader network behind the attack. Police said efforts are underway to arrest the remaining accused and recover the weapon used in the crime.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
