Yamunanagar hospital & mall shootings: 3 youths, including 2 juveniles, arrested after police encounter

Three individuals, including two juveniles, were captured by police on Sunday, 8 February, in connection with two separate shooting incidents — one targeting a private hospital and the other occurring outside a local mall in Yamunanagar district of Haryana, police said.

Police caught the suspects following a confrontation with law enforcement on Sunday morning near the Kasanpur region of Yamunanagar.

The police said that neither incident resulted in any fatalities.

"The initial investigation suggests this case is related to extortion and creating an atmosphere of fear," Superintendent of Police Kamal Deep Goyal told reporters.

Sources told PTI that the hospital owner had recently received an extortion demand from unidentified gang members, which they had formally reported to the police.

Two of the detainees are minors from the Karnal district, while the third, identified as Gurlal Singh, is a resident of Kurukshetra.

Security camera recordings captured three masked youths entering the private hospital on Saturday evening. Finding the reception area empty, they discharged their weapons before escaping.

Officials said the group fired approximately 13 to 14 rounds inside the hospital, followed by another three to four shots outside the shopping centre.

Goyal informed the media that upon being alerted, law enforcement established several blockades and launched a manhunt. On Sunday morning, the police intercepted the trio on a motorcycle and boxed them in near Kasanpur.

The suspects reportedly fired at the police. During the return fire, two of the youths sustained gunshot wounds, while the third was hurt after crashing the motorcycle. All three were transported to a hospital for treatment and subsequently taken into custody.

During the operation, police seized one foreign-made handgun and one locally crafted pistol.

Opposition Parties Slam Nayab Singh Government

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala criticized the BJP administration regarding the alleged decline in public safety. He pointed out that some gang members had threatened the hospital owners previously, yet the attack still occurred.

Surjewala argued that such incidents are becoming frequent as criminals lose their fear of the law.

AAP’s national media coordinator, Anurag Dhanda, also condemned the government over the violence.

"The Nayab Singh government has turned the entire state of Haryana into a playground for criminals. In Yamunanagar, criminals are openly firing guns in the city without fear, and extortion demands are being made from businessmen in various places," Dhanda said in a social media post on X in Hindi.