Kartik Baggan and his friend Sarvan were shot at by unidentified assailants in Sundar Nagar Chowk in Ludhiana on Saturday night. Baggan, who had been facing several cases of crime related to gang violence, died while his friend was left injured in what police assume had been gang violence.
According to police sources. Baggan was riding an Activa scooter with Sarvan at the back when they were ambushed. Sarvan, who works as a car washer, said that the assailants, who were on bikes, opened fire from the back, hitting him, which made them both fall. The assailants then shot five bullets at Baggan before leaving.
The scene caused panic as it had happened in the middle of the road, Hindustan Times reported. Sarvan was rushed to Christian Medical College and Hospital, where he is now undergoing treatment.
According to local reports, the attack is believed to have been due to a past rivalry.
Assistant commissioner of police Davinder Chaudhary said, “We are scanning CCTV footage of the area to trace the assailants. An FIR has been registered against unidentified attackers.”
Baggan was facing trial in multiple criminal cases, including attempted murder, attack on cops, and illegal possession of weapons. A Times of India report had noted last year that Baggan had frequently posted images of himself with weapons. He had also produced videos of himself being brought to court for trial in the attempted murder case. The report noteed that youth in Punjab were posting online content that “glorifies weapons and violence”.
In 2022, three men, Karandeep Kalia alias Karan of Harikartar Colony and Kunal Sharma alias Abhay, and Sameer Malik, were held by police in Ludhiana for attempting to murder Baggan. Baggan had been admitted to the hospital for a bullet wound. The police had recovered a 32-bore pistol and two live bullets from their possession. The men were from the Shubham Arora alias Shubham Mota gang. The attack was planned as Kartik Baggan and his accomplices, affiliated with the Puneet Bains gang, assaulted Karandeep and made a video of it.
The police are now investigating the identity of the assailants who shot Baggan.