Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 26 : A birthday celebration in the Khurja Nagar area of Bulandshahr turned into a horrific crime scene on the night of Saturday, after a minor altercation over smearing cake on a face escalated into a triple homicide.
Police have identified the deceased as Amardeep Saini, Manish Saini, and Akash Saini. The primary accused, Jeetu Saini, whose birthday was being celebrated, remains at large along with several accomplices.
What was meant to be a celebratory gathering at a local gym and later near a residence soured when the victims reportedly applied cake to the face of the birthday boy, Jeetu Saini. The playful gesture was met with unexpected hostility, leading to a heated argument.
According to SP (Rural) Antriksh Jain, Khurja Nagar police station received information about the shooting, following which police rushed to the spot.
"Late tonight, the Khurja Nagar police station received information that three young men had been shot. Police immediately arrived at the scene. The young men were admitted to the hospital in critical condition, where they were declared dead. The bodies have been taken for postmortem examination," he told ANI.
Police said six teams have been formed to arrest the accused, and some suspects have already been taken into custody.
"The family members have named some individuals. The reason revealed is that it was the birthday of one of the accused, during which the deceased put cake on his face. There was an altercation between them. This altercation led to this incident today," Jain added.
He further said that efforts are underway to arrest all those involved in the case.
"There have been no arrests yet, but efforts are underway. Some people are in custody, and all those involved in the incident will be arrested soon," he said.
Sanjay Saini, the brother of one of the victims, recounted a chilling sequence of events. He claimed that following the initial argument, the accused retreated only to return with an arsenal of firearms.
Sanjay received a call from the accused party claiming his brother was "abusing" them. Sanjay attempted to de-escalate, promising to resolve the matter in the morning.
"It was Jeetu Saini, son of Subhash Halwai's birthday. He invited people here. These people argued and left our Amardeep behind. I got a call saying, 'Your brother is abusing'. I told them that I'll talk to them in the morning, as I had to attend a wedding," he told ANI.
Saini further alleged that the accused returned armed and escalated the situation.
"They had seven or eight licensed weapons, which they immediately grabbed and went to the scene. Meanwhile, they called my brother and nephew, Manish Saini and Akash Saini, to the scene. These people immediately started firing the moment they arrived and didn't give anyone a chance," he said.
Ignoring the plea for peace, the accused allegedly grabbed seven or eight licensed weapons and rushed to the scene.
"They immediately started firing the moment they arrived and didn't give anyone a chance," Sanjay told reporters. Amardeep, his nephew Manish, and Akash were struck multiple times and were declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
The Meerut Range DIG, Kalanidhi Naithani, and senior district officials visited the spot late at night to oversee the probe.
Meerut Range DIG Kalanidhi Naithani on Sunday said that a dispute between a group of youths at a gym led to the shooting incident in Bulandshahr.
"Based on the complaints and the events described by people, some young men had a fight at the gym over something. One of the accused was reportedly celebrating his birthday," he said.
Naithani added that the local police have intensified efforts to identify and arrest the accused.
"The local police are also conducting checks in the surrounding area. Teams have been formed for arrests. They have also been formed to monitor CCTV footage," he said.
He further informed that forensic teams have collected evidence from the spot for detailed analysis.
"The field unit is on the scene. They have collected some evidence, which will be analysed separately. At present, it is reported that there was some disagreement between them, due to which a fight broke out," the DIG said.