Dehradun, March 30 A routine morning walk turned fatal for a retired Army brigadier in Dehradun on Monday after he was shot, allegedly during an exchange of fire between two groups following a dispute over a bill at a nightclub, police said.
Four people, including the owner of a nightclub, have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place in Johri village on Mussoorie Road in the Rajpur area early Monday.
At a press conference, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Singh Dobal said those arrested are Sandeep Kumar, owner of the ‘Zen-G’ nightclub at Kuthal Gate, Aditya Chaudhary, Rohit Kumar, and Akhlaq.
Kumar’s nightclub, which remained open overnight in violation of rules, has been sealed, and a recommendation will be sent to the district magistrate to cancel its license, the officer said.
According to the police, the chain of events began late Sunday night when a dispute broke out at the nightclub between Aditya Chaudhary and Mohit Agarwal, an employee of the ‘Zen-G’ nightclub, over a reduced bill.
The argument escalated when Mohit and two other staff members allegedly smashed the windows of Chaudhary’s new Scorpio car, which did not have a number plate, the SSP said.
After leaving the club, Chaudhary and his associates allegedly waited nearby to confront the staff. When Mohit and other employees left the club in their employer’s Delhi-registered Fortuner in the morning, Chaudhary’s group chased them, he added.
During the pursuit, one of Chaudhary’s associates, Shantanu, allegedly fired at the Fortuner to force it to stop, triggering an exchange of fire between the groups.
Retired Brigadier Mukesh Joshi (74), who was out for a morning walk, was struck by a bullet and later died in hospital.
The official further said that following the incident, the Fortuner car went out of control and crashed into a roadside tree near the Government Primary School in Johri. Subsequently, Aditya and his associates assaulted Rohit Kumar, Akhlaq, and others travelling in a Fortuner car, causing severe damage to their vehicle.
Dobal said that, due to police roadblocks, Aditya and his associates hid their Scorpio in a secluded spot within the forests along Thano Road and subsequently dispersed to various locations using different means of transport.
SSP Dobal said that when the police took Rohit and Akhlaq into custody for questioning, they initially claimed the shooting was carried out by the occupants of the Scorpio following a dispute over overtaking, thereby attempting to mislead the police.
The official stated that upon subsequent rigorous interrogation, they admitted to possessing weapons themselves and confessed to having opened fire as well.
The SSP said that the youths travelling in the Scorpio are predominantly students hailing from Delhi and Bihar, who are currently pursuing their studies at educational institutions in Dehradun.
Police later recovered the Scorpio from a forested stretch along Thano Road and seized both vehicles. Two country-made pistols, four live cartridges, and two spent shells were also recovered.
A murder case has been registered at Rajpur police station on the complaint of the brigadier’s relative, Rakesh Kumar Upreti.
Several accused who were in the Scorpio -- Shantanu Tyagi, Kavish Tyagi, Sameer Chaudhary, and Vaibhav -- remain absconding, and raids are underway to arrest them, police said.