A shooting near Mehandipur village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district left one person dead and two others critically injured on Wednesday after a man allegedly opened fire on a car he suspected was carrying shooters sent by gangsters to follow him, police said.
The accused, identified by police as commission agent and transporter Manjit Singh Katta, is absconding. Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police Surinder Lamba said police teams had been formed to trace and arrest him. The police are also examining CCTV footage to establish the sequence of events and determine what led to the firing.
“Prima facie, it appears to be a case of personal enmity. We are examining CCTV footage. The accused has been identified, and teams have been formed to trace him,” Lamba said, according to the report.
The incident took place near a railway crossing between noon and 1 pm, when Katta was reportedly returning to Khemkaran with his wife after paying obeisance at the Ghariyala temple. According to the account being examined by investigators, he noticed another vehicle following his car near the Mehandipur village intersection and suspected that its occupants were pursuing him on behalf of gangsters.
Police said three occupants of the other vehicle were injured in the firing. They were identified as Gursewak Singh, a resident of Asal village, Sajan Singh and Harkirat Singh. Gursewak died while receiving treatment, while Sajan and Harkirat were admitted to a private hospital in critical condition.
The case has also raised questions about the security arrangements surrounding the accused. Police sources said Katta had been provided protection by a police constable because of reported threats and had also hired private bouncers. The police, however, have not confirmed any connection between the shooting and a gangster group.
The reported belief that the occupants of the vehicle were pursuing Katta remains his version of events, the SSP said. Investigators are examining CCTV footage and the weapon allegedly used in the firing, including its source. These findings will be central to establishing whether the shooting was linked to personal enmity, a perceived threat or another motive.
The police investigation is continuing, with teams searching for the accused and working to reconstruct the events leading up to the firing. Authorities have not disclosed further details about the weapon or announced an arrest.
