Liquor war: Bootlegger shot at near Vadodara

VADODARA: Rivalry between bootleggers led to a shootout near Golden Chowkdi on Friday night. Lalchand alias Lalu Sindhi, an aide of gangster Mukesh Harjani, was shot at by three persons after they took him from his residence in Warasiya.
Sindhi is a prominent bootlegger who has been arrested on several occasions. Detained under Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act, he was released from prison earlier this week.
Sindhi was allegedly picked up by people he identified as Hari, Pappu and Alpu at 10.30 pm. They took him to the Golden Chowkdi under the pretext of having a discussion regarding the illicit liquor trade where one of the accused then fired at his face. A passer-by helped Sindhi. Police have recovered a country-made pistol and three cartridges, two of them spent.
Police commissioner Satish Sharma said the accused and Sindhi worked together. "During Sindhi's stay in prison, the accused operated on his behalf. Differences emerged when Sindhi came out," said Sharma adding that a deal was struck, but some people backed out, leading to the rivalry.
The accused and Sindhi are also believed to have tipped off police about each other. Sindhi's car was set ablaze by unidentified persons recently.
The police have detained one accused.