3 min readChandigarhJun 18, 2026 09:03 AM IST
Two accused arrested in connection with the murder of a cashier at a chemist shop in Chandigarh last week were injured in a police encounter early Thursday after they allegedly attempted to escape from custody and opened fire at a police team while being brought to the city from Jammu.
The accused, Sunny Mehra and Aryan Sharma, sustained gunshot injuries to their legs and were admitted to Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16. Their condition is stated to be stable.
According to police sources, the incident occurred around 6 am behind the Panjab University forest area when the accused were being taken to the Crime Branch office in Sector 11 following their arrest Wednesday.
Sources said the SUV carrying the accused and police personnel met with an accident and crashed into a tree. The impact of the collision was such that a constable seated in the rear of the vehicle was thrown out after the vehicle came to a halt.
A commotion and shootings
Taking advantage of the confusion, the two accused allegedly got hold of a service pistol that had fallen inside the vehicle following the accident. They then attempted to flee from the spot and allegedly fired two rounds at the police team while escaping, sources said.
A police team led by Inspector Harinder Singh Sekhon, Operations Cell, and Inspector Narinder Patial, Crime Branch, retaliated by opening fire. Sources said the team fired four rounds during the exchange.
Mehra reportedly sustained two bullet injuries in his leg and Sharma suffered a bullet injury in his leg. Both were overpowered and taken into custody before being shifted to GMSH-16 for treatment.
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They had been arrested from the Jammu region Wednesday in connection with the June 13 murder of Janki Das, 45, a cashier at Shri Kumar Medicos in Sector 11. Das, a native of Himachal Pradesh, was shot multiple times inside the chemist shop by masked assailants posing as customers and later succumbed to his injuries at PGIMER.
The police suspect Mehra is the main shooter, though officers have said the exact role of each accused will be established during interrogation. The police have also identified a third suspect in the case, and said efforts are underway to trace and arrest him.
The accused are expected to be produced before a local court after completion of medical formalities. Further investigation is underway.
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