In what seemed to be a scene out of a Bollywood potboiler, two gangsters—Vishal Pandit and his accomplice Raunak—opened fire on their rival, Rajan, who was being released after 17 days of judicial custody from jail in Bijnor.However, Raunak accidentally shot Vishal, killing him on the spot.
The incident happened on Saturday evening. According to the police, two other persons—including a jail personnel and a police constable—also sustained injuries.Rajan was lodged in jail for attempted murder since June 13. Bijnor’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun said, “As Rajan stepped out of the jail, Vishal Pandit and his accomplice Raunak, who had come to target him, opened indiscriminate firing on the former. Soon after, jail personnel and cops at a nearby jail police outpost turned up to rescue Rajan. While Rajan was running back towards the jail gate, the two assailants were chasing him brandishing firearms in their hands.” “While Rajan remained unhurt in the attack, Vishal Pandit was hit by the bullet fired by his crime partner Raunak and succumbed during treatment at the district hospital. In the shootout, one jail guard Ranjit Singh and police constable Rajiv Kumar suffered bullet wounds and are undergoing treatment at the hospital,” he said.
The SP further said that Rajan and Raunak have been taken into custody and further investigation is under way after registering an FIR of murder and attempt to murder in the case.He added that the deceased, Vishal Pandit, had five criminal cases against him, while the two other accused also have a criminal background.The SP said that the trio earlier worked for the Rachit gang involved in multiple cases of loot, murder and attempt but Rajan left them and formed a separate gang, while Rachit was shot dead in a gang war around two years ago.
