Staff injured as group fires shots, vandalizes restaurant

Times News Network
Ludhiana: When asked to leave a restaurant at its closing time, a group of miscreants attacked its staff members and vandalized the premises in Pohir village on Saturday evening.
On Sunday night, the police registered an FIR on the complaint of J-9 Restaurant receptionist Sandeep Singh, 22, a resident of Jodhan village, against Abhijit Singh Mand, of SBS Nagar; Jagat Singh of Dugri Phase II; Kuntal Sachdeva of Baba Nand Singh Nagar; Jarmanjeet Singh, Mudit Sood; Naseeb Bhinder; and an unidentified accomplice, all aged between 19 and 21.
Sandeep said, “Around 3pm on Saturday, the group came to the restaurant and sat in a separate section. Hours later, they started abusing each other and creating nuisance. We objected to it and requested them to pipe down as other customers were getting disturbed. Later, we apprised them of the closing time. Around 7pm, we again asked them to leave after bill payment as the closing time was 6.30pm.”
At this, they got offended. “Abhijit Singh Mand took out a weapon and fired at me. The bullet missed its mark, but hit Davinder Singh, 50, who has the restaurant’s liquor bar contract, on his shoulder. As our colleagues raised the alarm, Kuntal Sachdeva picked up the stand of foot-operated sanitizer and hit me on my head. And those accompanying them vandalised the restaurant and escaped,” he added.
Dehlon police station SHO inspector Sukhdev Singh said, “The injured were rushed to a hospital following which the staff called up the police. We recorded the statements of Davinder, a resident of Samrala’s Shamshpur, and Sandeep on Sunday night. Earlier, they were not fit to give one. A case has been registered under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the IPC, and the Arms Act, the Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Disease Act.”
Last year, Dugri police had arrested the group in a kidnapping case, the inspector added