Two bike-borne assailants open fire at dhaba owner in Himachal's Mandi; flee with cash, TV

Mandi/Shimla: Two bike borne assailants opened fire at a dhaba owner in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district when he caught them stealing cash from the counter, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place on Friday night when the two arrived at the eatery and placed an order for a packed meal. While the owner, Pradeep Guleria, from Dayari Tilli, was preparing the food, he noticed them attempting to steal cash from the counter, they said.

Based on the complaint lodged by Guleria, when he confronted them, they opened fire, injuring him and fled the scene with the cash and an LED TV, police said.

The injured is undergoing treatment at a medical college in Nerchowk, they added.

A case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 109 (attempt to murder), 307 (theft), 3(5) (joint criminal liability) and section 25 of the Arms Act in Sadar police station here and a special investigation team led by Additional Superintendent of Police has been formed, they said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the rider was wearing a white cap while the pillion rider was in a black helmet. A manhunt has been launched to nab the the accused who are still at large, a police officer said.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur spoke to the injured dhaba owner and assured him that the issue would be raised in the Vidhan Sabha.

This is the second firing incident in the state within a week. Earlier, former Congress MLA Bamber Thakur was attacked by four assailants at his wife's government residence courtyard during Holi celebrations.

Thakur had suffered a bullet injury to his leg while his personal security officer Sanjeev Kumar had sustained multiple bullet injuries.