Chandigarh: Two men gun down 23-year-old sanitation worker in Nayagaon

Two unidentified men shot dead a 23-year-old man in broad daylight at Janta Colony in Nayagaon on Thursday evening.

The deceased, identified as Saurabh alias Maddy, was a resident of the colony. He was an employee of BVG company that maintains sanitation at PGIMER, Chandigarh, on contract. His father Rajinder is also a sanitation worker at the paediatrics department, while his mother works in the New OPD. The family hails from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh.

Police suspect old rivalry behind the murder. After preliminary investigation, police found that some men were playing cards at the auto stand in Janta Colony on Thursday evening, and Saurabh was standing close by. Around 4:30pm, two men on a motorcycle approached him, and took him aside to talk.

Eyewitnesses told the investigators that the trio suddenly engaged in an altercation, following which the unidentified youths fired at Saurabh multiple times till he collapsed. The duo then sped away on the motorcycle.

Saurabh was rushed to PGIMER where he was declared brought dead. His body has been kept in the mortuary where an autopsy will be conducted on Friday.

Victim shot thrice

Police have recovered four shells of cartridges of a .32-bore pistol, and two live cartridges from the spot.

“There was one visible bullet injury on the chest and two on the leg,” said a senior police officer, not willing to be named. As per police records, Saurabh had been named as accused in several cases of rioting and assault registered with Mohali police.

“The murder seems to be a result of old rivalry between two groups, as they had got a number of cases registered against each other in the past,” said Harbir Singh Atwal, superintendent of police (SP) (investigation), Mohali.

Family accuses two men of same locality

Rajinder Singh, father of the deceased, lost consciousness a number of times since he was told of his son’s murder. “My son has been murdered by Akash and Nannu, both residents of Janta Colony,” he alleged. Alam Vijay Singh, deputy superintendent of police (DSP, City), Mohali, said, “The accused have been identified.”

Sources said police teams were sent to Akash’s house, but his entire family was missing. A case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered.