Lab technician shot dead outside restaurant in Amritsar

A lab technician employed at SR Government College for Girls was shot dead on Sunday night outside a restaurant on the Batala Road here, police said on Monday.

Ashutosh Mahajan, 35, son of the restaurant owner, was attacked by two bike-borne masked assailants.

Eyewitnesses reported that one of the suspects entered the restaurant to procure water, while the other waited outside on the bike. The attackers then opened fire, hitting the technician three times. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that CCTV footage from the area is being examined to identify the perpetrators. Statements from the victim’s family have been recorded, and victim’s call records are under analysis as part of the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, hours after the shooting, gangster Hari Boxer of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang took responsibility for the murder via a social media account named Anmol Bishnoi.

The post claimed that victim Ashu Mahajan was an informer for the police who leaked information about the whereabouts of their accomplice, Nona Harike, and was therefore “taught a lesson.”

Police, however, stated that the claims are being verified as the investigation is underway.