KOCHI : Two employees of a bar suffered gunshot wounds after a member of a gang opened fire at them outside the establishment at Kathrikadavu on Thammanam-Pullepady road in the city late Sunday night.
The injured persons are Sujin John, 23, of Thodupuzha and Akhil, 34, of Cherthala, both employees of Edassery Mansion. Three people – Vijoy Jose of Edappally, Dilshan of Kalamassery and Shameer of Aluva – have been detained. The police said the bullet was fired by Vineeth of Parakadavu who is involved in multiple criminal and narcotic cases registered in the district. He is absconding as is his close aide, they said.
Other employees of the bar said their colleague Jithin George, 25, of Manimala in Kottayam was first assaulted by the five-member gang. The incident took place around 11.30pm, they said.
“The group arrived in a white Ford Figo car. The bar had closed by then. They parked the vehicle outside the main gate and after some time, started fighting each other. Jithin, who was leaving after duty, spotted them and intervened. The group attacked him and slapped and kicked him in the face,” said an employee.
Seeing this, Akhil and Sujin came to Jithin’s rescue. “That was when one of the group members, who appeared to be in his 40s, took out a pistol and fired four bullets. One bullet hit Sujin’s abdomen while another hit Akhil’s thigh. The group immediately got in the car and fled,” said the employee.
Akhil and Sujin were rushed to a private hospital where they underwent surgery on Monday morning. Their condition is stable, said the hospital staff.
The police, who launched a probe, identified the owner of the car used by the suspects. Upon questioning, he provided them details about the suspects, following which the police took Vijoy, Dilshan and Shameer into custody from their house.
“Our team is on the lookout for Vineeth and his friend. Vineeth is named in multiple cases, including attempt to murder and drug peddling. He was also involved in assaulting a policeman. We have recovered the bullet casings from the crime scene. They were fired from a pistol,” said an officer.
The three detainees told police that Vineeth began keeping a pistol after facing threats to his life from another gang active in Kochi city. Vineeth and his gang mainly operate outside the city, and the police suspect they came to Kochi for ‘quotation work’ (crimes undertaken on contract). The police said they are questioning the trio to verify the reason behind their presence in Kochi.
