Arrests follow viral video showing shots fired from rooftop during land dispute
Ghaziabad police on Tuesday arrested three men after a video circulated on social media appearing to show suspects firing at a group visiting a disputed plot near Sangam Vihar in the Loni Border area. A first information report (FIR) has been registered at the Loni Border police station and sections under the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act have been added, officials said.
Police identified the three arrested as a 69-year-old man, his 38-year-old son and a 54-year-old accomplice. The FIR, a copy of which was seen by police, names these three and one unidentified person. The complainant is reported as a resident involved in the property dispute, and one of the claimants of the plot has stated that the matter was sub judice at a Ghaziabad court.
- Recovered from the accused: nine empty cartridges, two live cartridges and a pistol.
- Police estimate four to five shots were fired; one person suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and is hospitalised.
- An interim court order was said to bar the suspects from obstructing possession of the land by the complainant.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Surendra Nath Tiwari said the arrests followed the viral footage.
"Three suspects, who were seen firing gunshots and pelting stones in the viral video, were arrested. We estimate that four to five shots were fired at the other group, and one of them, aged 24, sustained a gunshot to his leg. His condition is stable at the hospital," said DCP Surendra Nath Tiwari.
According to police records and reporting from the locality, the complainant — named in one report as Nepal Singh — had an ongoing dispute over the plot with the accused identified in another account as Rishipal, Vikrant and Gajendra. The dispute had been taken to a Ghaziabad court, which reportedly issued an interim direction preventing the accused from obstructing the complainant's peaceful possession or undertaking construction on the contested land.
Local accounts and the FIR state that the incident escalated on Monday when the complainant and some villagers visited the plot. A video that later circulated shows three men on the rooftop of a single-storey house; one is seen apparently aiming and firing a pistol while another is seen pelting stones at people on the ground. Police said the victim, identified in some reports as Sandeep, sustained a gunshot wound to the left thigh and was taken to hospital. Officials described his condition as stable.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Arrested | Three men (ages 69, 38, 54) |
| Recovered items | 9 empty cartridges, 2 live cartridges, 1 pistol |
| FIR sections | Acts endangering life, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, acts with common intention; Arms Act provisions added |
| Victim | Reportedly shot in leg; undergoing treatment |
Senior police said the FIR was registered late on Monday night under relevant sections for endangering life and safety, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and acts committed with common intention. Police indicated that one more suspect who appears in the FIR had not yet been arrested and would be sought.
The episode highlights recurring tensions in Loni Border localities where land disputes have periodically turned confrontational. Local residents told reporters that contested plots are often the subject of private litigation and interim court orders, and that enforcement on the ground can become volatile when parties attempt unilateral possession or construction.
Police said investigation is ongoing, and the seized weapon and cartridges have been sent for forensic examination. The registered case will form the basis for further charges if ballistic and other inquiries corroborate the evidence gathered at the scene.
