Tension gripped Kochi city on Saturday afternoon after two motorcycle-bound persons with their faces covered climbed the stairs leading to the first floor of a building at Panampilly Nagar in the heart of the city, fired a couple of shots and sped away. The incident took place around 2.45 p.m.
While news channels claimed it was an ‘attack’ targeting a beauty parlour run by a film actor following an extortion call she had received from Mumbai, the police were yet to confirm that theory.
In fact, the police declined to confirm if any shots were fired at all.
J. Himendranath, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kochi City), said that going by eyewitness account, it was probably a small air pistol which could have been illegal as well. “It is for the forensic team to verify for the presence of any chemical composition,” he said.
The police have yet to confirm whether it was a serious act by an extortion racket or just a stage show to create fear. “We will have to go deep into the details to arrive at any kind of conclusion,” Mr. Himendranath said.
The miscreants had left behind a piece of paper with the name of a Mumbai-based underworld don, which was interpreted as meant for the actor. However, the police are unsure whether it was a genuine threat or an attempt to mislead them.
However, a spokesperson of the actor accused the media of indulging in vindictive reporting by digging up her history of being accused in a financial fraud in the past. She said she was acquitted of those charges.
"There are three shops in the building, so how can one be sure which shop was targeted. None entered our shop or fired at it," she said, while remaining non-committal about the extortion calls.
The police will record her detailed statement as soon as she returns to town from Mumbai, where she was at the time of the incident. Meanwhile, they are examining CCTV footage along all possible routes the miscreants could have taken to flee the scene.
