Chandigarh: Man dining with 5 friends at Sector-10 cafe fires shot in air, booked
No one injured; one of the men was accompanied by a security guard, whom the cafe chef saw picking up something from the floor, as per his complaint to Chandigarh Police
In a shocking incident, a group of men dining on the terrace of The Willow Café in the bustling Sector 10 market opened fire in the air, causing alarm among staff and customers.
While the incident took place on Sunday evening, the cafe staff approached the police only the next day, following which a case was registered, and a probe was launched to identify and arrest the culprits.
According to the written complaint filed by Balbir Ram, the head chef at the cafe and a resident of Badal Colony, Zirakpur, the incident unfolded between 5 pm and 5.40 pm.
Balbir, who has been working at the establishment since 2004, reported that four men arrived at the cafe around 5 pm and took a table on the terrace. They ordered food and drinks. A short while later, two more men joined them, accompanied by a security guard who remained standing outside the terrace gate.
While the group dined, Balbir suddenly heard a loud sound, resembling a firecracker, around 5.35 pm. He rushed to the terrace from the kitchen and saw the security guard standing near the table, while the six men appeared to be unfazed.
The guard seemed to have picked up something from the floor. At that moment, the chef could not discern what had happened and returned to his duties.
The next day, on Monday, Balbir reviewed the CCTV footage of the terrace and discovered the shocking truth. One of the six men, seated near the terrace door and wearing a black hoodie with white star patterns and glasses, had pulled out a pistol from his pocket and fired a shot into the air.
The CCTV footage was handed over to the police along with the written complaint.
After receiving Balbir’s complaint and reviewing the CCTV footage, Chandigarh Police lodged an FIR at the Sector 3 police station. The case has been registered under Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act, along with Sections 125 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Sub-inspector Lakhwinder Singh, the investigating officer, stated in FIR that the complaint was received during a patrol near the Sector 10 taxi stand. Balbir personally approached the officer to report the incident, following which a formal complaint was filed. SI Lakhwinder, accompanied by constable Jaipal, visited the scene to gather evidence and initiate investigation.
The head chef assured the police that he could identify the culprits if they were presented before him. Police are analysing the CCTV footage for leads to trace the six men involved in the incident.