Mistaken identity triggers firing

Surat: An electrical goods trader became the victim of mistaken identity when two persons, who had allegedly made an extortion call to another businessman, opened fire at him in Udhna on Tuesday.
The target of the assailants was an edible oil trader Bhikhachandra Jain whose office is also located on the ground floor of a Silicon Shoppers Complex where the incident happened. However, the miscreants shot at Ashok Shah thinking that he was Jain, police investigation revealed. Shah escaped unhurt in the firing.

Two assailants wearing helmets masked came bike and one of them entered the building. He stopped outside Shah’s office for a moment and stepped into the shop. He fired two rounds from a country-made pistol and both of them escaped. Shah told police that the attacker was wearing a black helmet, dark blue shirt and jeans.

Police said that few minutes before the firing, Jain, whose office is opposite to Shah’s, had received an extortion call to keep Rs 2 crore ready. He was threatened to be killed if he did not pay up. After the firing, Jain, who is also a builder, received another call and was again threatened for money.

Police have recovered CCTV footages of the commercial complex and neighbouring buildings to get more clues about the two.

Harekrishna Patel, joint commissioner of police, sector I, said, “It seems that the businessman was targeted due to mistaken identity. Owner of neighbouring office had received an extortion call. We have got some important leads and the case will be detected soon.”

Police are also probing if the attackers fired at Shah by mistake or merely did this to terrify Jain. “The caller did not give name of any specific gang or group. It seems that the attackers are some local goons,” said Udhna police station official.