Gunfire at NRI’s house over ransom demand

Two unidentified bike-borne assailants opened fire outside the house of an NRI family in Aman Nagar here near Gulab Devi Road late Monday night in what appears to be a case of extortion.

The police said the firing was allegedly carried out to intimidate the NRI’s family after ransom demands were made by a Pakistan-based gangster.

ACP North Aatish Bhatia confirmed that the house belongs to Balvir Singh, whose four sons, including Jatinder Singh, are settled in Portugal. “The firing seems to have been done to threaten his family following ransom demands made by the gangsters,” Bhatia said.

An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Arms Act against unidentified persons. While some sources suggest that a ransom of nearly Rs 50 lakh was demanded, police officials have not confirmed or disclosed any specific amount.

The incident unfolded just five minutes after Jatinder’s mother, Charanjit Kaur, received a threatening phone call from an unknown number. The caller asked her about one ‘Kaka Sandhu.’ When she denied knowing anyone by that name, the caller threatened her, saying, "We will see what happens now." Within minutes, gunshots fired outside their home.

CCTV footage shows two men on a motorcycle firing 10-12 rounds at the house before fleeing. The police later recovered four bullet shells from the spot.

On Tuesday, a video surfaced in which Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti claimed responsibility for the firing. An audio recording of Bhatti abusing and threatening Jatinder has also gone viral.

In the recording, Bhatti allegedly demanded ransom from Jatinder and warned of attacks on his family in Jalandhar and his restaurant business in Portugal. "First, I will kill your father," Bhatti allegedly said during the heated exchange.

Charanjit Kaur told the police that she had previously received threats from Bhatti nearly a year ago, for which a complaint had also been filed.

Police officials said, "We are thoroughly investigating the viral audio and video linked to the Pakistani gangster. The initial probe suggests the firing was carried out to terrorise the family following the ransom demand."

Jatinder’s parents and grandmother were present in the house at the time of the attack but escaped unharmed. The police said they are working to identify and arrest the shooters involved.