Shots fired at Chandigarh hotelier’s residence

Panic gripped local residents as shots were fired at a hotelier’s residence in Sector 38 late Tuesday night. The police suspect it to be an extortion-linked attack.

Two unidentified men on a motorcycle allegedly opened fire at the home of local businessman Manpreet Singh Saini, also known as Mannu, leaving bullet marks on the property.

Saini, who runs a hotel business and also works as a government contractor, said he was asleep with his family when the shots were fired. Owing to Gurpurb celebrations, he mistook the loud sound for fireworks and did not step out. It was only the next morning, around 10:30 am, that he discovered bullet marks on the exterior walls of his house and on the windshield of his car. He reported the matter to the police.

According to Saini, he had received a threat call a few days earlier from a foreign number. The caller allegedly identified himself as gangster Lucky Patial and issued threats. Saini reportedly blocked the number and did not take it seriously then.

A team from the Sector 39 police station arrived at the scene and recovered empty cartridges.

The police said the incident was being probed with a focus on the possible involvement of the Lucky Patial gang, which has been linked to extortion attempts in the region in the past.