Mohali, Nov. 15 -- The district has reported 20 firing incidents so far this year. Data shows that out of the total, five cases were linked to extortion attempts, four had direct gang involvement, one occurred during a theft, and three were incidents of celebratory firing. The remaining cases stemmed from personal enmity or heated arguments that turned into gunfire, exposing an alarming trend of personal disputes escalating into violence.

The figures reveal that not just organised crime, personal conflicts are also one of the causes of shootings in the district. Most of the weapons used in such incidents were found to be illegal, with investigations tracing their origins to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, two states known as key source...