2 accused of firing outside pvt hospital held after encounter

Tribune News Service

Karnal, August 9

In a brief exchange of fire between police and miscreants, a CIA-1 team today arrested two accused of firing outside a private hospital in the city on Wednesday. One of them sustained bullet injury during the encounter. The police said the firing was linked to an extortion demand of Rs 50 lakh made to hospital owner Kamal Charaya, reportedly by gangster Bhanu Rana.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohit Handa said the accused had been identified as Jashan, alias Jaswinder, a resident of Ambedkar Vihar, Tilak Nagar, Yamunanagar, and Rishi, alias Golu, a resident of Vishwakarma Colony, Yamunanagar.

On a tip-off that the two suspects were going from Yamunanagar to Karnal, the police set up nakas and increased vigil on the Indri road on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. When the police signalled the duo, who were riding a bike, to stop, they started firing at the police, he said. In retaliation, the police also fired, which resulted in injury in Rishi’s leg. Thereafter, the police apprehended the duo and the injured was taken to the District Civil Hospital, said the SP. The SP said two illegal pistols, two magazines, five live cartridges and the bike used in the crime were seized from them. “We have registered a case at the Sadar police station,” said the SP.

Both accused admitted to have fired outside the private hospital, the SP added.

During the initial investigation, the suspects revealed that they were contacted by a person named Lovepreet on Instagram. They said he called them to Karnal and arranged weapons to commit the crime. “The accused have been taken on six days’ remand to identify other accomplices,” said the SP.

Dr Kamal Charaya had received an extortion call of Rs 50 lakh on Sunday night. On August 7, two miscreants on a bike opened fire outside his hospital.