Punjab Newsline | Batala
Senior BJP leader and prominent businessman Vijay Kumar Soni narrowly escaped a gun attack after two unidentified assailants opened fire at his petrol pump in the Kotli Surat Malli area of Batala police district on Wednesday night.
According to Soni, he was sitting at his petrol pump around 9:24 pm, reviewing daily accounts, when two masked men arrived on a motorcycle and started firing indiscriminately. In response, Soni used his licensed revolver to return fire, forcing the attackers to flee the scene.
The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed at the petrol pump. No injuries were reported in the exchange of fire.
Soni revealed that he had been receiving calls from foreign numbers since around 7 pm on Wednesday. He also received WhatsApp voice messages demanding a ransom of ₹2 crore.
The callers allegedly threatened to kill him within 10 days if the extortion money was not paid.
Police have launched an investigation into the firing and extortion threats. CCTV footage is being examined to identify the attackers and trace their whereabouts.
