Panchkula, June 7 -- A 35-year-old national kabaddi player was shot dead and his cousin critically injured after his childhood friend and his accomplice opened fire at them in the parking lot of a mall at Amravati Enclave in Panchkula around 10:45 pm on Thursday.

The deceased was identified as Sonu Nolta, a resident of Nolta village near Pinjore, while his cousin, Nitin Panwar, alias Prince, 20, sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh. He was rushed to PGIMER, Chandigarh. Police, however, remain unclear about the motive.

Soon after the incident, which triggered panic in the residential area along the Shimla national highway, a video surfaced online purportedly showing the accused, Piyush Piplani, claiming responsibility for the attack. ...