Trader, biz partner shot at; family dispute cause behind attack

A shopkeeper, Gurvinder Singh, alias Prinkle, and his business partner Navjit Kaur were shot at by four masked assailants at Khud Mohalla near the CMC chowk on Friday evening. The assailants had barged into the shop and rained bullets on them. Gangster Rishab Benipal, alias Nannu, with whom Prinkle has an old enmity, and his aides had attacked them.

After the incident, both injured were taken to the CMCH and they were said to be out of danger.

The incident occurred around 6pm when Prinkle along with Navjit Kaur were sitting in their shop ‘Prinkle Shoe Hut’ when four masked men came on two motorcycles and opened fire. Prinkle had identified the assailants as gangster Rishab Benipal, alias Nannu, and members of his in-laws’ family.

Police officials said Prinkle and gangster Nannu had been into a verbal duel for a long time and had been challenging each other.

Meanwhile, Prinkle’s mother alleged that his son had two gunmen who were recently withdrawn by the authorities. She had visited offices of senior police officials to raise the issue of threats being received by him.

“I was targeted by Nannu, my brother-in-law, father in-law and others. They had been targeting me for long,” Prinkle said in a statement given from hospital.

DCP Jaskiranjit Singh Teja said Gurvinder was out of danger as he suffered three to four bullets and his business partner Navjit Kaur suffered two bullet injuries. Prinkle also fired four to five shots in his defence from his licensed weapon and it is being suspected that the assailants also suffered bullet injuries.

“A family dispute is the cause of the firing. Prinkle had recently solemnised love marriage with a woman against the wishes of her parents and Nannu was close to the family of the woman as Prinkle’s in-laws wanted to get their daughter married with the gangster. Prinkle’s wife had also recently left him and started staying with her parents due to the ongoing tussle. Both victim and the gangster had been threatening each other for long and it led to the incident,” added Taja,” Teja said.

A case of attempt to murder was registered against the assailants by name and raids were on to nab them.