Hoshiarpur: An atmosphere of fear prevails among the general public in the Mahilpur and Kot Fatohi regions following a series of incidents—including thefts and shootings—that have occurred over the past two days. Residents no longer feel safe even stepping out of their homes. There is widespread panic following an incident yesterday afternoon, around 3:30 PM, in which shots were fired at a readymade garment shop on Shahidan Road in Mahilpur. Similarly, yesterday evening, unidentified thieves stole a motorcycle belonging to a resident of village Pachnangal from outside Rana Bakers in the town of Kot Fatohi.
Later that same night—according to CCTV footage—jewelry worth lakhs of rupees was stolen from Shri Krishna Jewelers in Kot Fatohi between 1:00 AM and 2:00 AM. According to the shop owner, Anmol Kumar, he resides in Phagwara and commutes daily from Phagwara to his shop in Kot Fatohi. He had installed security cameras to safeguard his shop, which are also linked to his mobile phone.
Around 5:15 AM, he received a call from a sanitation worker informing him that his shop's shutter had been broken. He immediately checked the shop's camera feed via his mobile phone; upon observing the condition of the shop, he promptly informed neighboring shopkeepers about the incident over the phone and notified the police.
Upon receiving the information, the police—led by Outpost In-charge ASI Sukhwinder Singh—arrived at the scene to conduct an investigation and began scrutinizing the video footage to piece together the details of the incident. According to the shop owner, he is currently in the process of taking stock of his inventory; the exact extent of the loss will be ascertained only after this verification is complete. Meanwhile, the investigating police officer stated that they are conducting a thorough inquiry into the matter. Legal action will be initiated based on whatever facts emerge from the CCTV footage. Similarly, the Platina motorcycle belonging to Lakhwinder Singh—son of Atma Ram and a resident of Nangal Khurd, who has been working for approximately 22 years at Bindra Mobile, a prominent mobile repair center in Mahilpur—was stolen by an unidentified thief. According to Lakhwinder, he parked his Platina motorcycle (bearing registration number PB 36G1693) outside his shop in the morning before stepping inside; within just half an hour, an unidentified thief made off with the vehicle. Although the thief's image has been captured in CCTV footage, the incident has been reported to the Mahilpur Police Station. According to police officials, an investigation into the matter is currently underway.
Notably, such incidents have created a palpable sense of panic among the residents of the area. Meanwhile, the police are attempting to reassure the general public that the culprits involved in these crimes will soon be apprehended.
Residents here are not only distressed and living in fear due to these criminal incidents but are also grappling with the persistent shortages of cooking gas and petrol that have plagued the region over the past few days. Consequently, in light of these events and prevailing circumstances, the public remains deeply anxious about their own future and that of their children.