Sector 15A of Noida is yet to get over the shock. A senior executive with a Delhi-based ceramics company, Rakesh Awasthi, was shot at right outside the upscale residential society in broad daylight, on Thursday.
Two motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at Awasthi, a resident of sector 37 of Greater Noida, when he resisted their attempt to snatch his laptop. He sustained bullet injuries on his hand and abdomen.
The victim was shifted to a local hospital immediately after the incident and is said to be out of danger now. While the biker was caught and handed over to the police by passers-by, the pillion rider managed to flee, leaving the laptop bag behind.
Giving the sequence of the incident, SP Crime (Noida), Vishwajeet Shrivastava, told City Spidey that the incident took place around 12.30 pm when Awasthi was on his way to his office in Kirti Nagar, Delhi, after visiting a bank in Greater Noida.
He said the accused, identified as Prince and Pankaj, who were trailing their victim from the bank, lifted his laptop bag from the rear seat of his car when he stopped at the red light of Sector 15A. They were suspecting that Awasthi was carrying cash in the bag.
Meanwhile, a manhunt has been launched to apprehend the other accused.
The incident has sent shockwaves across the sector. General Secretary of the RWA, Ashok Chaturvedi, told City Spidey that resident have stopped carrying laptops, expensive mobile phones and valuables in their cars. “What is intriguing the residents is that the incident has taken place just a km and half from the SSP office,” said Chaturvedi.
“The incident shows how serious and committed is the police to the safety of the residents of the city,” said Priya Paul, a resident.
Siddhant Sharma, another resident, suggested that there should be regular police verification of the bikers hanging around in the area to check crime. Earlier, a PCR van used to stand inside the sector. But none enters the compound today.
Describing the incident as a wakeup call, President of RWA Sector 19, Rishipal Singh Awana, called for deployment of more police personnel in the city to check rising crime graph. General Secretary of Sector-51 RWA, Sanjeev Kumar, urged the Noida Police to enhance frequency of police patrol.
