MOHALI: Three men allegedly robbed a property dealer of Rs 1 crore and shot at a vegetable vendor when he tried to catch hold of them in Derabassi on Friday.
Senior superintendent of Police (SSP) Vivek Sheel Soni said Harjeet Singh Nagpal, the property dealer, was holding discussions with one Ranjodh Singh to settle a deal in his office near Barwala turning on the national highway. "Nagpal had got Rs 1 crore. But the two had some dispute. In the meantime, three armed men barged into the office at noon and fled with the Rs 1 crore." "The robbers have been identified and police are on their trail, the SSP added.
As the robbers were fleeing, Nagpal raised the alarm and a vegetable vendor identified as Mohammad Sabir (37) standing near his office chased and grabbed one of them. In the pursuit, one of the robbers opened fire. The vendor sustained two bullet injuries and is undergoing treatment at PGI, Chandigarh. The robbers allegedly snatched a motorcycle of a 24-year-old man and left their motorcycle behind at the crime scene, said the SSP.
Police after getting information about the loot, set up two teams. One of them reached the dealer's office and the other followed the robbers. Suspecting the robbers were hiding in a building on VIP Road in Zirakpur, cops cordoned off the area and carried out searches.
The SSP said the robbers knew Ranjodh Singh and have rounded him up following the statement of Nagpal. Police said Ranjodh Singh and Nagpal had been had met a day before in connection with the deal, holding a meeting for over two hours. "The two were holding talks at the office for one-and-a-half-hours before the robbers struck," a police official said.
