AHMEDABAD: The city police arrested two persons on Saturday for firing five shots in the air with a starter pistol — a blank handgun commonly used for races — on the SG road late on Friday night in front of a cafe, stirring panic in the crowded place.
The two men, Mekshi Patel (31) and Arvind Pandya (27), residents of Bopal and Shilaj, were held for endangering life and were also booked under the Arms Act.
Police sources said that Patel and Pandya drove towards Bopal after firing the shots on the SG Road. They were nabbed by the city police in Bopal.
“Patel and Pandya are class 10 dropouts who depend on their parents’ money to enjoy a lavish lifestyle,” said a police official. “On Friday, they had a booze party at Patel’s house in Bopal from where they drove towards SG Road, where they fired the shots in front of Danny Coffee Bar.” Patel emerged from his Chevrolet Cruz’s sunroof and fired the shots, the official said. “Pandya cheered him on,” he said.
The episode calls into question the city police’s much hyped traffic drive: the accused drove a car which had tinted glass, a violation of traffic norms. Onlookers said that there were other persons in the car including two girls but they were not clearly visible.
Apart from the IPC and Arms Act sections, the city police booked the duo under the Prohibition Act for consuming liquor.
Bravado to impress lost love
Police sources said that when Patel was drinking booze with his friends, he came to know that his ex-girlfriend was at the coffee bar on the SG Road. Patel, drunk at the time, grabbed the starter pistol and decided to visit the coffee bar. He told his friends that the pistol can be used for intimidation, if the girl was found with another man. When he reached the coffee bar, he could not find his ex-girlfriend and started firing to attract her attention. This version of events was related to police by Patel’s friend who was drinking with him on Friday night.
Display of impunity
Patel came out of the car and started firing while yelling at the people who were looking at him. He dared the people to record his video on their cellphones, said a shop owner who witnessed the incident. People were petrified. Patel then went to a nearby paan shop and smoked a cigarette. The area had been subdued into mortified silence for a while. Patel then drove away.
Third arrest not shown
The
Vastrapur police allegedly nabbed three persons in the case, but only two arrests have been recorded. A third person identified only as Pandey, aged around 30, was not shown among the arrested persons. Vastrapur inspector M M Jadeja said that he was unable to comment. He said that he was busy with the chief minister’s security deployment.
Illustration for representational purpose.
