Cafe shooting leaves Gurgaon terrified

The killing of a 22-year-old in a Palam Vihar cafe has left the market’s regular customers wary and afraid, with many deciding to stay away from the area for a while. Those working there say the market has been empty since the incident.
Ever since a 22-year-old college student, Mohit Jhangu, was shot dead on Monday night in Palam Vihar’s Old Box Cafe in Sector 23A, a place frequented by youngsters, the market has been tense.Mohit was inside the café with his maternal uncle when the five accused stormed in and fired at him several times. Though similar incidents have been reported in the past, the fact that armed men could enter the cafe and fearlessly shoot someone has left the market regulars and the cafe’s owner and staff terrified – so much so that some have even decided to completely stay away from the place for some time.
Though we couldn’t get in touch with the owner of the café, his friend says that the incident has left the cafe staff in shock. “The café’s owner is my friend. He’s with the police for the investigation and has asked me to take care of things in his absence. Though I wasn’t present at the time of the shooting, it has terrified me. The staff isn’t speaking to anyone or talking about it because they’re too scared. They were ordered to stay quiet by the men who did this. The café will have to stay shut for now, and will also earn a bad name because of this incident,” he says.
Pooja, a student of ITM University, Gurgaon, says, “My friends and I regularly hang out at the café because it’s near our college. To think that a boy our age was shot dead in the café that we go to so regularly has been creeping me out. Anyone can just walk in carrying a gun and there’s no way to stop them.”
Rashi Sehgal, a homemaker and a resident of Palam Vihar, tells us, “There are very limited cafes in Palam Vihar, and I always order food from that cafe. But when I finally decided to go there, I heard the news of the shooting. Now I’m going to avoid that place for some time. It has left me feeling terrified and extremely unsafe. What if I had decided to go the café that very night? What if something had happened to me?”
Prince Singh, who works at another shop in the market, says, “I was inside my shop when the shooting happened, and I rushed outside when I heard about it. The cops were already there by the time I reached and the body was being taken to the hospital. It happened around 9pm and a crowd had gathered. Since that day, the market has been rather empty and we’ve been getting less customers.”
Saumitra Suryavanshi, a chef who has a kitchen near the cafe, says, “The crowd that regularly visited the cafe as well as the market is completely missing. I found out about the shooting the day after it happened and have been scared ever since. It isn’t unexpected and that’s petrifying to think about.”
Archit Gupta, a student of ITM University, says, “I hang out in that market every day with my batchmates. But now, after I heard about the shooting, the whole image of the market has changed in my mind. Our entire college has been talking about it and some students have also been spreading rumours that someone from our college was involved in the killing. Sometimes we stay in the market till late and this incident had happened around 9pm. So now we’ll have to be very careful.”
Another ITM University student, Nimish Gulati, says, “That market is like our second home, and the fact that someone was killed at the very spot we regularly visit gives me a sick feeling. My friends and I are going to avoid going the cafes there for some time. Today, we’re going straight home after lectures.”
The market is desolate now
Since that day, the market has been rather empty and we’ve been getting less customers– Prince Singh, who works at a shop in the Palam Vihar market.
The crowd that regularly visited the cafe as well as the market is completely missing– Saumitra Suryavanshi, a chef who has a kitchen near the café.
It is business as usual: cops
We have increased security in the area and the personnel deployed there are on alert as a precautionary measure. The atmosphere has been peaceful after the incident and the other shops are runningtheir business as usual– Cops posted at the Palam Vihar Police Station.