Jalandhar: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Lucky Oberoi, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants outside the Model Town Gurdwara in Jalandhar on Friday morning.
The incident happened around 7.30 am, even as the 38-year-old was coming out after paying obeisance, the police said, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Oberoi was rushed to a local hospital in an unconscious state. He succumbed to his gunshot injuries there later,
Jalandhar police commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur Randhawa said.
“CCTV footage has revealed that the shots were fired soon after the victim sat in his Mahindra Thar,” CP Randhawa said.
The miscreants, who had reportedly carried out a recce of Oberoi’s movements, arrived outside the gurdwara and fired 8-10 shots using two sophisticated weapons from both sides of the vehicle, the police said.
The firing shattered the window panes of his SUV as well as another vehicle parked in the gurdwara parking area.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused, who arrived on a Honda Activa, were well aware of Oberoi’s daily routine of visiting the gurdwara, the commissioner said.
“We received information around 8 am, following which teams of senior officials and forensic experts were rushed to the spot to gather key evidence. The entire city has been sealed with nearly 15 nakas set up,” she added.
Old enmity has emerged as the primary motive behind the killing, and there is no extortion angle so far, Randhawa added.
Opposition parties targeted the AAP government in Punjab over the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state.
“The AAP government has turned Punjab into a playground for criminals and gangsters. Rule of law has been replaced by the rule of the gun,” BJP national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said posted on X.
