Third gunshot incident in 5 days: Minor opens fire in Sec-38

Chandigarh: The city witnessed its third gunshot incident in just five days on Sunday evening, this time in Sector 38 — and shockingly, the shooter and the target were both minors. A single shot rang out inside a colony, narrowly missing the complainant boy. The incident unfolded even as Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria was in the same sector, with the area already on high alert.The young assailant fired once and sped away on a white scooter, an act captured clearly on CCTV camera. Sector 39 police later recovered a spent bullet shell and launched a manhunt. The suspect, who belonged to Sec-38C, was arrested within a few hours of the incident.According to police, two minor boys were standing near a house when the scooter-borne accused arrived. After nearly ten minutes of conversation, he allegedly fired at them at a close range before fleeing. The complainant, who had come to his uncle's house in the sector from Mohali, escaped unharmed and immediately alerted police at 112.Within minutes, teams from Sector 39 police station, the crime branch, operations cell, district crime cell and a forensic unit surrounded the area. A case under relevant BNS sections and the Arms Act was registered, and CCTV footage helped investigators identify the shooter.Sources said the firing may have been revenge-linked, connected to the Jan 17 murder of Sumit alias Golu of Mauli Jagran. Police said the exact motive would be known only after detailed interrogation.The incident adds to a rapidly escalating pattern of gun violence in the city.March 18 | Four assailants fired at SOPU leader Jashandeep Singh Jawandha on the PU campus and escaped after snatching a motorcycle at gunpoint. No arrest has been made in the case so far.March 19 | Two shooters gunned down property dealer Chamanpreet Singh alias Chini in Sector 9; both were later caught in Kaithal after a brief encounter.January 21 | Criminals opened fire at a Sector 32 chemist shop and outside a builder's Sector 21 home in extortion attempts