Two Lawrence Bishnoi gang shooters arrested after Paschim Vihar shootout
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell Counter-Intelligence Unit arrested two alleged shooters linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang following a shootout in West Delhi's Paschim Vihar in the early hours of Thursday. The suspects, identified as Sagar and Hakikat, alias Sahil, were wanted in connection with a previous firing incident at a gym in Pushkar Enclave near Paschim Vihar on June 11.
The arrests were made after police officers received specific information about the presence of the two suspects in the Meera Bagh area. Upon tracking them down, the police officers asked the suspects to surrender.
Instead of surrendering, the two men opened fire on the police team. This prompted the officers to return fire in self-defence. During the exchange of fire, both Sagar and Hakikat sustained bullet injuries to their legs. They were subsequently arrested and taken into custody.
Following the encounter, police recovered two firearms from the suspects. Investigators suspect that one of these recovered weapons was used in the June 11 firing incident at the gym.
The original shooting occurred on June 11 when motorcycle-borne masked men opened fire at the gym in Pushkar Enclave. The attackers fired at least seven bullets, two of which shattered the gym's glass façade. No injuries or casualties were reported during that incident.
According to investigators, the gym is owned by two West Delhi residents and operates as a franchise of a fitness centre brand associated with Punjabi singer and entrepreneur Guru Randhawa, who also serves as its brand ambassador.
Police stated that the two arrested shooters were acting under the instructions of their handlers, Anil Pandit and Hariram Jat, alias Harry Boxer. Both handlers are currently absconding and are suspected to be operating from abroad on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi criminal syndicate.
Pandit had previously claimed responsibility for the gym shooting on social media. An audio message associated with the claim stated that the gym was targeted due to Randhawa's alleged closeness to Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
