LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI: Delhi and Uttar Pradesh police teams raided several places Wednesday but failed to trace Ashish Pandey, a politician's son who is on the run after brandishing a gun at a five-star hotel in New Delhi.
'Raids have been carried out at various places associated with Ashish Pandey and we will be able to make the arrest soon,' the state's Additional Director General (Law and Order) Anand Kumar said.
The police are looking for Pandey after a video clip surfaced on social media, showing him in a confrontation with two other guests in the foyer of Delhi's Hyatt Regency Hotel on Saturday night.
The Delhi Police has obtained a non-bailable warrant against him and also issued a show-cause notice to the hotel for alleged negligence.
Ashish Pandey, who is a realtor, hails from Lucknow and is the son of former Bahujan Samaj Party MP Rakesh Pandey. His brother, Ritesh Pandey, is an MLA in Uttar Pradesh.
ADG Anand Kumar said the licence for the weapon brandished by Pandey was issued in Ambedkar Nagar in 1999. The district administration is carrying out the process of cancellation or suspension of the licence.
Anand said he is not aware if there is any other case lodged against Pandey in Uttar Pradesh, but more information is being gathered.
Gaurav Kanwar, an ex-Congress MLA's son who was allegedly threatened by Pandey, told Delhi Police in a statement that he was too scared to approach them immediately after the incident.
According to him, he was abused by some people when he escorted his woman friend to a hotel washroom when she took ill during dinner.
When the two were waiting for their car at the hotel foyer, Pandey and his friends again approached them.
'I will kill you,' Pandey allegedly told him.
"The man in pink pants (Pandey) walked (up) to me and showed me his gun, and shouted 'I will kill you'. I requested him not to fight and asked the hotel staff to intervene," Kanwar alleged.
"The man (Pandey) got out of his car (again) and pointed his gun at me and said 'I will kill you', 'I am from Lucknow'," Kanwar added stressing that he repeatedly urged Pandey not to shoot or fight.
"The girls (with Pandey) started showing the finger to my friend and she also did the same," he added.