AAP leader Daljit Raju's Phagwara residence targeted in shooting incident, extortion angle suspected

A wave of panic swept through Darvesh village near Phagwara in the early hours of Thursday after two unidentified masked assailants opened fire at the residence of AAP leader and Yudh Nasheya Virudh Phagwara Coordinator, Daljit Raju. The incident, which occurred at around 1:13 AM, left the locality tense as more than a dozen shots were fired at the house before the attackers fled.

Raju told the police that he, his wife, and their daughter were asleep on the first floor when the firing took place. Bullets pierced the glass railing and windows of the upper floor, but the family escaped unhurt. The sound of the firing jolted Raju awake, and on looking through the window, he saw two masked men brandishing pistols or revolvers and targeting his house at close range.

Despite fleeing the spot, the assailants left behind a trail of evidence. A CCTV footage, recovered by Raju, showed the two suspects arriving on a motorcycle, their faces covered, before parking the vehicle near the main gate of the village and approaching the house on foot. One of the attackers was seen throwing four pages inside Raju’s premises, carrying the threatening inscription ‘Kala Rana Group — 5 crore’, indicating a possible extortion demand.

In his detailed statement to the police, Raju maintained that he had no personal enmity or dispute with anyone and believed the attack was orchestrated by criminal elements with the sole intention of intimidation and extortion. He added that the miscreants fired indiscriminately before fleeing, leaving empty cartridges scattered around the site.

Following the incident, Raju immediately informed the police. Within minutes two SHOs reached at the crime site. Phagwara SP Madhvi Sharma and DSP Bharat Bhushan reached the location in early morning today, inspected the house and met the shaken family. Lok Sabha MP Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Halka Incharge Harnoor Singh Maan also visited the residence to express concern and solidarity with Raju.

Police have since registered a case under Sections 308(5),61(2),324(4), 111 of BNS and 25-54-59 arms act at Satnampura Police Station. SSP Gaurav Toora said the police were examining multiple angles — including extortion, gang rivalry, and targeted intimidation — and added that efforts were underway to scrutinise CCTV footage from the surrounding areas to identify the assailants.

Police patrols have been intensified in the area as efforts to trace the suspects gain momentum.