Parking dispute leads to firing near tavern

CHANDIGARH: A group of men on a red Mahindra Bolero got into an argument with another group over parking near a liquor vend in Daddumajra colony on Sunday evening and one of the occupants of the SUV fired at least five gunshots. No one was injured.

According to witnesses, between five and seven men reached the liquor vend at 7.30pm in their SUV. Five persons were already standing in front of the vend at the time and the two groups started arguing over parking of their vehicles.

"They started exchanging blows and one of the accused, who was part of the SUV group, took out a pistol and fired at the opposing group. However, no one was injured," Nishant Rana, a local who witnessed the incident, said. The SUV group fled in an i20 and left their own vehicle behind as locals started rushing to the liquor vend on hearing the gunshots.

One of the suspects, who was part of the SUV group, was nabbed by people and handed over to the police, which started investigation into the incident. The police team led by Maloya SHO Chiranjee Lal seized the abandoned vehicle and found that the SUV had a fake registration plate.According to the locals, the men on the SUV used to visit the vend daily from Mohali to buy multiple boxes of liquor. They also claimed the accused used to buy liquor at cheaper rates and smuggle it in their vehicle to parts of Punjab. However, this was not corroborated by the police.