Gunfire outside Punjab travel agent's home
Rohit Gupta
Gurdaspur (Punjab), July 30, 2025: Panic gripped Sathiali village in Gurdaspur district after three unidentified masked men opened indiscriminate fire outside the house of a local travel agent, late Tuesday night, around 11 PM.
While no injuries were reported, the incident has created fear and tension in the area.
The gunmen, who arrived on a motorcycle, fired multiple shots at the house of Suraj Masih, a travel and immigration agent. Bullets hit the main gate and the first-floor kitchen window. Suraj was not at home during the incident.
His wife, Shivani, who was inside with their young daughter and other family members, said they were having a conversation when they suddenly heard gunshots.
On stepping outside, she saw three masked men fleeing on a bike after firing at their house.
Local youths, including Ashish and his friends, attempted to chase the attackers in a car. During the pursuit, the attackers fired two shots at their vehicle as well, forcing them to abandon the chase and return to the village.The assailants left behind empty cartridges and live bullets, which were recovered by the police from the scene.
Shivani said the family has no known personal enmity and suspects that the attack may be related to Suraj’s work in immigration and travel consultancy.Village Sarpanch Bikram Singh and elder Ramesh Kumar also confirmed that no such incident had occurred before and condemned the violent act.
Kahnuwan Police Station in-charge Kulwinder Singh arrived at the scene and assured a thorough investigation. He mentioned that Suraj’s line of work may have caused professional rivalry.
Police have increased patrols and set up checkpoints, and efforts are on to identify and arrest the culprits.This is not the first such violent incident in the area. In recent weeks:
- A shopkeeper was shot and seriously injured at Sathiali Adda by robbers.
- A young man was attacked with sharp weapons near a canal and had his motorcycle stolen, suffering serious injuries in the process.
The recurring violence has raised concerns about law and order in the region, prompting locals to demand stricter police action.