Photographer shot dead after mediating a road-rage dispute in Ludhiana

Dubai: A 39-year-old photographer was shot dead and his friend injured after he allegedly intervened in a road-rage dispute between a car driver and a two-wheeler rider in Ludhiana’s old city, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place around midnight on Monday near JMD Mall. The deceased, Raminder Singh, alias Sonu, and his friend Sanjeev Kumar, both residents of New Ashok Nagar, were returning from a birthday party when occupants of a Hyundai Creta allegedly opened fire at them.

Raminder, who was travelling in the passenger seat of a Maruti Brezza, suffered a gunshot wound to his neck and died. Sanjeev sustained a bullet injury to his hand, police said

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police-1 Sameer Verma said the two groups were not known to each other and the shooting appeared to have followed a minor argument over a traffic incident.

“Prima facie, there was a minor altercation over giving way to a vehicle which led to firing,” Verma said.

According to police, Raminder and his friends were travelling in multiple vehicles, including an Activa scooter. The scooter allegedly brushed against the Creta, triggering an argument between the two sides.

Raminder and Sanjeev reportedly stopped to mediate between the scooter rider and the occupants of the Creta. After the dispute appeared to have been resolved, they resumed their journey.

Police said the Creta later overtook the Brezza and its occupants allegedly opened fire.

Inspector Ashwani Kumar, station house officer of Division No. 1 police station, said the Creta, which had no registration number plate, came alongside the Brezza before the occupants fired at Raminder.

“The victim and the accused were not known to each other,” Kumar said.

Police are investigating the incident, and efforts are under way to identify and trace those involved in the shooting.

With inputs from Agencies