Chandigarh: Chandigarh Police was involved in an encounter with an alleged accused in the murder of a 17-year-old student, in the forest area of Sector 50, news agency ANI reported on Saturday. The alleged accused sustained a gunshot wound during the encounter.

Source: ANI via LatestLY

The operation was carried out by the Operation Cell team under the leadership of Inspector Sekhon, and police teams were deployed at the spot, ANI said. Further details about the encounter and the condition of the injured accused were awaited at the time of the report.

According to ANI, the police investigation had indicated that the murder was allegedly a contract killing. According to police sources cited by the agency, the name of Lucky Patial, a gangster associated with the Bambiha gang, emerged in connection with the alleged conspiracy. These are police-source allegations under investigation, not established findings.

Police suspect the killing stemmed from personal rivalry following an assault in Sector 34, a video of which was later circulated on social media. According to police, a person who allegedly held a grudge against the student accompanied the shooter to identify him before the attack.

Source: ANI via Khelja

In the original Sector 22 firing, the 17-year-old was shot in the chest and later died during treatment at a hospital, while an auto-rickshaw driver was hit by a bullet in the shoulder, ANI reported. Sector 22 SHO Sudesh Kumar told ANI that two boys and the auto-rickshaw driver were struck by gunfire, that there appeared to be a long-standing grudge between the boys dating back to their school days, and that a dispute had broken out among a group of friends in Sector 44 earlier in the day.

Separately, earlier reporting on the investigation said a 17-year-old accused had been taken into custody and a .32 bore pistol had allegedly been recovered from him, with a case registered under murder and Arms Act provisions. That reporting attributed the rivalry to a dispute that began at a previous school and escalated through videos circulated on social media.

Source: The World Opinion

Awaaz Punjab is not naming the victim, who was a minor, or identifying his school. The investigation is continuing, and all allegations against any accused remain to be tested in court.