Chandigarh: In a dramatic turn, two shooters — Sunny Mehra (22) and Aryan Sharma (19) — arrested for allegedly killing a 45-year-old chemist shop cashier in Sector 11, were injured in a police encounter early Thursday when they allegedly tried to escape after a police vehicle bringing the duo from Jammu met with an accident near Panjab University (PU).
Accident Details
Police said the incident occurred between 4.30 am and 5 am when the police vehicle, driven by constable Sanjay, rammed into a roadside tree after he reportedly dozed off at the wheel. The impact injured several personnel and caused a service pistol to fall on the road.
UT IGP Pushpendra Kumar said the accused tried to flee, taking advantage of the situation. Sunny Mehra allegedly picked up the fallen weapon and opened fire at the police team despite repeated warnings. He fired two rounds, which hit the police vehicle behind which personnel had taken cover.
Police Response
Police initially fired a warning shot but retaliated when the accused continued firing and attempted to escape. Four rounds were fired in response. Sunny Mehra sustained two bullet injuries in his left leg, while Aryan Sharma was hit once in his right leg. The driver, Sanjay, was also injured in the accident.
All injured persons, including a police official, were rushed to GMSH-16. The two accused were later referred to PGI.
Investigation Findings
Investigation has revealed that Sunny Mehra was the main shooter, while Aryan Sharma rode the motorcycle used in the crime. The role of Amit Kumar is under probe.
On June 13, two masked men armed with pistols shot dead Janki Das (45) inside a chemist shop in Sector 11 around 2.30 pm before fleeing on a motorcycle with an accomplice.
Following the murder, UT DGP Sagar Preet Hooda constituted a special investigation team (SIT), which conducted extensive operations involving CCTV analysis, technical surveillance, intelligence inputs, and raids across Chandigarh, Punjab, Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir.
Police found the accused had arrived in Chandigarh on a stolen motorcycle. After the crime, they reached Kajheri (Sector 52) in an auto-rickshaw hired from Bougainvillea Garden, changed clothes after purchasing new ones, and later left for Delhi by bus from ISBT Sector 43 before travelling to Jammu & Kashmir by train.
Acting on leads, UT police, led by Inspector Harinder Singh Sekhon of the anti-gangster task force, along with a crime branch team, reached Jammu. In a joint operation with J&K police, Sunny and Aryan were arrested from a forested area around 7.30 pm on June 17.
Murder Motive
Police said the Sector 11 killing was aimed at instilling fear in the owner of Shri Kumar Medical Hall to facilitate extortion. The target was allegedly identified by Amit Sharma, the main conspirator, who remains absconding.
Amit Sharma, police said, had been in contact with gangster Goldy Dhillon for over a year through a Jammu-based criminal. Investigators said Amit and Sunny entered the shop, where Sunny fired multiple rounds, killing the cashier on the spot, while Aryan waited outside on a motorcycle. Though Amit was armed, he did not fire.
The accused were allegedly promised Rs 1 lakh to execute the crime. CCTV footage later captured all three in Sector 23 market, where they purchased clothes and shoes worth about Rs 25,000 before fleeing.
Police said Sunny and Aryan have no prior criminal record, while Amit Sharma has previously been booked for issuing threats to a relative of a senior police official in Jammu.
Third Accused Arrested
Jammu & Kashmir police on Thursday night arrested the third and key suspect in the cashier murder case, Amit Sharma alias Sharabi, a resident of Samba. Police said Sharma was in contact with gangster Rohit Kumar, currently lodged in a Punjab jail, and was allegedly operating an extortion racket at his behest.
