Former journalist shot at by car-borne men in east Delhi

Accused threw eggs at her car’s windshield to impair her vision

Mitali Chandola.

A former journalist was shot at in east Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave by car-borne masked men on Saturday night, the police said on Sunday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Jasmeet Singh said the incident took place when Mitali Chandola was driving to her home in Noida after meeting a friend in Raj Nagar extension.

At midnight

At 12.30 a.m. (Sunday) when she was near Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital in Vasundhara Enclave, two masked men in a car overtook her and fired three shots at her.

One bullet hit the woman in her right arm while the second one went through the car’s roof, the police said.

“At first, the accused had thrown eggs at the front windshield of my car and when I did not stop, they opened fire at me,” Ms. Chandola said.

The assailants threw eggs with an intention to impair the driver’s vision so that she would stop the car, said Mr. Singh.

A police team reached the spot and took the injured to Dharamshila Hospital. She is said to be out of danger. The police said they are investigating whether any gang that targets motorists at night with eggs to distract and rob them are involved in the attack.

The police have also not ruled out other angles, including personal enmity. A case has been registered under Indian Penal Code Section 307 (attempt to murder) at New Ashok Nagar police station.

Mr. Singh said they are getting details of other cases that Ms. Chandola had registered in Noida to find out if the attack was part of revenge.

“We are also gathering CCTV footage of the area and using technical surveillance to identify the car,” Mr. Singh added.