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Published: May 9, 2026
All four men accused of an armed carjacking in Chandigarh's Sector 46-C have been arrested after a police chase ended in an exchange of gunfire in Palwal, Haryana. Two suspects were hit in the legs and taken to a hospital, while the stolen car and weapons were recovered, police said Saturday.
The arrests came less than 24 hours after a milk vendor was robbed at gunpoint near a police beat box on Thursday night. The quick result was a joint effort between the Chandigarh District Crime Cell and the Palwal Crime Branch.
The victim, Mohan, a milk seller from Burail, was loading goods into his car around 11:30 p.m. near a police beat box in Sector 46-C. Two men approached his vehicle. One climbed into the passenger seat, while the other pointed a gun at him. Mohan stepped out and handed over the car. The assailants drove off immediately.
Although the spot was close to a police beat box, the theft happened quickly and without warning. Police registered a case under Section 309(4) (robbery) and Section 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Arms Act, at the Sector 34 police station.
Inspector Jasbir Singh led the District Crime Cell team from Sector 24. Investigators traced the path of the stolen vehicle through Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh using technical surveillance and police intelligence, according to officials.
When officers realised the car was heading toward the National Capital Region, they alerted the Palwal Crime Branch. Before the Chandigarh team could reach the interception point, Palwal police had already spotted the suspects near a forested stretch and moved in.
The accused tried to escape by driving into the trees. Police said the men then got out and opened fire. Officers responded in self-defence, injuring Lucky, 24, and Roshan Acharya, both from Barnala, Punjab. They were admitted to a hospital under police supervision.
Sunny, 23, and Khushpreet, also from Barnala, were arrested without further incident at the scene.
The police recovered two country-made pistols, four live cartridges and three mobile phones from the suspects. The number plates on the stolen car had already been removed, which the police believe was an attempt to make the vehicle harder to trace.
Chandigarh Police have since taken custody of the car. Officials said it will be examined for forensic evidence that could link the group to other crimes.
All four suspects have criminal history in Punjab. According to police, Lucky has four registered cases at Barnala City police station, Roshan Acharya nine, Khushpreet five and Sunny one. The officers described the men as drug addicts who carried out the robbery to pay for their habit.
The arrest record and the fact that the suspects came from another state point to a wider problem of cross-border gang activity in northern India. Police are now looking into whether the same group was involved in previous vehicle thefts in Chandigarh, Panchkula and nearby areas, though no such claim has been made officially.
The case is one of the early tests of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the criminal code that replaced the Indian Penal Code in July 2024. The new law consolidates definitions of robbery and common intention, while mandating a more streamlined response from police.
In this case, the combination of local police work and inter-state coordination helped close the investigation quickly. A senior officer said the prompt response was possible because the Chandigarh and Palwal units shared real-time information about the movement of the stolen vehicle.
The injured suspects remain hospitalised and under police guard. Once doctors clear them, they will be formally presented before a magistrate. The other two have already been produced in court and taken into police custody for questioning.
Investigators are expected to interrogate the four men about their alleged connections to drug networks and whether other people helped plan the carjacking. The stolen vehicle's registration plates and custody chain will also be part of the court process.
Police have urged residents to remain watchful, especially near commercial stretches at night, but stressed that the quick arrest shows the effectiveness of multi-agency coordination. Further investigation into the case is continuing.
