Chandigarh witnessed a brazen daylight murder on Saturday afternoon when two gunmen shot dead a cashier at a chemist's shop in Sector 11. The victim, 45-year-old Janki Das, was killed in a hail of bullets, with 13 shots fired in just two seconds, indicating the use of a sophisticated automatic pistol.
Shocking Public Killing
The murder, the second in three months, has shaken the city and raised serious questions about police preparedness. The Sector-11 police station and crime branch are barely 500 meters from the shop, and a police checkpoint is located just 100 meters away. Despite this, the shooters managed to escape and remain unidentified.
The motive for the crime is not yet clear. Das was a resident of Dhanas in Chandigarh and a native of Rohru, Himachal Pradesh, where his wife recently won the gram panchayat election.
Detailed Account of the Incident
The murder was captured on multiple CCTV cameras. The Sector 11 market is a busy area, and no one paid particular attention to the two shooters when they entered the shop at 2:28 PM. They wore surgical masks and caps and stood in front of the cashier for a few seconds, as if waiting for their turn. Other customers were standing only inches away.
About 15 seconds later, a shop CCTV camera captured them pulling out guns, but the weapons were below counter level and went unnoticed. The cashier had his head turned away, working, when one of the shooters started firing. Das collapsed on the floor, and other staff and customers scattered in panic.
The shooters sprinted away, completing the attack in less than 25 seconds. Fortunately, no one else was hurt. Someone called the emergency number 112.
Police Investigation
Police later found that the duo ran through the market area to an accomplice waiting on a motorcycle on the road. He too wore a mask and had a backpack slung over his shoulder. The motorcycle was later found abandoned in a garden in Sector 3.
Upon receiving the alert, SSP Sumer Partap Singh and SP-city K M Priyanka arrived at the crime scene with forensics experts. Das was taken to PGI, where he was declared dead.
Police said the bike was stolen from Tarn Taran in Punjab and had a fake registration number. SSP Singh stated that 13 rounds were fired from an automatic pistol, but the number of hits will be determined in the post-mortem.
From the probe so far, the shop owner had not received any extortion threats. Police are investigating every angle, including personal enmity.
Claim of Responsibility
A claim of responsibility was posted from the ID of a Facebook group set up in the name Goldy Dhillon. It threatened Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang and warned that anyone supporting him would pay. However, police sources indicate the post may be fabricated.
Second Public Killing in Three Months
This is the second public killing in Chandigarh in three months, following the March 18 murder of property dealer Chamanpreet Singh in the posh Sector 9 area. He was shot 12 times in the parking lot.
Police continue to investigate and urge anyone with information to come forward.
