A 30-year-old man, who was part of a mob thrashing a youth for ramming his car into motorbikes, was allegedly shot at by a former armyman in East Delhi's Mandawali area today.
The one who fired, Rajender Singh, claimed that he was trying to save the youth from getting beaten up by the mob by opening fire, police said. The bullet hit a shopkeeper named Rahul Kumar seriously injuring him in his abdomen.
Police said the incident happened at around 3 PM when the driver, Shivam Sharma (19), rammed his car into a motorbike while trying to save a cycle rickshaw and tried to flee.
"When locals saw him fleeing through the crowded market, they chased the car and stopped the vehicle near Metro Hospital in Preet Vihar. They later beat him," a senior police officer said.
At that point, Singh came out of his house and asked the mob to disperse as the youth did not injure any one. When the crowd refused, he pulled out a pistol and shot at the mob.
Police reached the spot and rushed Kumar to the Metro Hospital where his condition is stated to be critical.
Singh, who turned out to be a former army man, is absconding, police said.
The youth has been arrested on the charge of rash and negligent driving while a case of attempt to murder has been registered against Singh.
