Ludhiana: Revenge-hungry armed attackers targeted a local family twice within 14 hours, vandalising two homes, smashing vehicles, and firing gunshots to force the withdrawal of a police complaint.The Model Town police have launched a manhunt for 16 of those suspects following the targeted assault in Ambedkar Nagar. Investigators say the gang was trying to terrorise Harjinder Singh into retracting a police report filed in May after the suspects had allegedly thrashed him.Harjinder Singh’s sister-in-law, Chetna, said the gang had first targeted her parents’ home at 3.30am on Tuesday. Armed with knives and sticks, the men repeatedly struck the locked main gate, hurled abuses, and smashed neighbours’ parked motorcycles before fleeing.The gang returned at 5.30pm, breaking into Chetna’s martial home while she, her mother-in-law, and her five-month-old infant were inside.“The accused barged into our house and vandalised everything, from the wardrobe to the air-conditioner, furniture, appliances, and vehicles,” Chetna said. “They also fired multiple gunshots before fleeing.”Additional deputy commissioner of police Dev Singh confirmed that these armed raids were linked directly to extortion over the pending criminal case. “The accused attacked these homes solely to pressure the family into dropping the charges,” he said. “We have registered a fresh case.”Police have charged the 16 men under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including criminal intimidation, rioting, and armed trespass, alongside violations of the Arms Act.
