Undertrial attacked at Nalagarh court

Solan, August 29

A motorcycle-borne assailant fired at Ajay, alias Sunny (20), a murder accused inside the Nalagarh court complex in Solan district, when he was brought there for hearing in a case from the Central Jail at Nahan around noon today.

However, he escaped unhurt. He ran inside the judicial complex and locked himself in a toilet while Subhash, a policeman escorting him, had a close shave as he narrowly missed being hit by a bullet fired at Sunny. As per a preliminary probe, a .9 mm bore pistol was used in the crime.

The armed youth, who came from the parking lot of the court complex, opened fire at Sunny as soon as he came out after the hearing. The assailant ran outside the complex while being chased by policemen. He fired three rounds into the air to scare them. He tried to escape with his accomplice, who was waiting for him near the court premises, but their motorcycle ((HR 08Y 1026) fell on the road and they ran towards nearby forests, said Mohit Chawla, SP, Baddi. Three teams have been constituted to nab the assailant and his accomplice, he added.

Sunny and his accomplice had reportedly snatched at gunpoint the motorcycle used in the crime from a petrol station at Kaithal on August 26. The Kaithal police had registered an FIR in the case. Sunny is facing trial in two cases of murder and attempt to murder registered against him at Nalagarh.

Sunny was among six others who were brought to the judicial complex for hearing. All of them are in judicial custody in various jails. The police suspect that some rival gang was behind the shooting, as none of the other five undertrials was attacked.

Considering threat to his life, five policemen were escorting Sunny. Chawla said that the security of the court complex would be beefed up.

The court would be requested to conduct further hearing in the case through video-conferencing. There are no CCTV cameras installed on the court complex. Its parking right across the road is open for all.

The Nalagarh police had arrested Sunny, a resident of Umri village in Kurukshetra, on May 25 in a case of a shootout between rival gangs to control nefarious drug trade on the Baddi-Nalagarh highway at Khera village in May last year. One person was killed and three others were injured in the incident.

Also arrested for Middukhera murder

• The Mohali police had arrested Sunny for the murder of Youth Akali Dal leader Vikramjeet Middukhera in August 2021.
• Sunny was among six others who were brought to the judicial complex for hearing.
• The police suspect that some rival gang was behind the shooting.