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. In the clip, he cited personal rivalry, claiming the attack was carried out on the directions of Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Piplani and his accomplice, Ankush, can be seen brandishing weapons in the video. However, police said initial investigation had not revealed any gang rivalry angle, as both the victim and the accused were known to each other for years. According to police, the accused fired 12 rounds, four of which hit Sonu - in the chest, head, back and hand - leading to his death. Nitin, a diploma student at Government Polytechnic and resident of Mallah village, Panchkula, provided a statement to the police from PGIMER. He said on Thursday evening, he accompanied Sonu and his friend Jaspreet Kaur to watch a movie at the mall. "We went to the mall from Tipra, Kalka, in Sonu's Mahindra Scorpio (HP-15D-1726). After the film, Jaspreet's friends Neha and Priya also joined us. As the three girls were crossing the road, Sonu and I waited in the SUV. Suddenly, Piyush Piplani of Pinjore and Ankush of Chawla Colony, Pinjore, stepped out of a Swift car parked nearby, holding pistols," he narrated. The duo walked up to the driver's side window and opened fire at Sonu, who collapsed on the seat. One bullet hit Nitin in the left thigh. The attackers then fled in their vehicle, which already had other unidentified men inside. Based on the victim's statement, police registered a case under Sections 103 (1) and 3 (5) of the BNS, along with Sections 25, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act at the Pinjore police station. A manhunt is underway to arrest Piyush, Ankush and their unidentified accomplices. Initial investigation revealed that Sonu and Piyush were close friends who had grown up together. Just two days before the murder, the duo had dinner together. According to Sonu's family, he had even given Piyush some money for shopping during the meeting. Sonu's father expressed deep anguish over the betrayal, saying, "We didn't see it coming - he was a snake in the grass." Police disclosed that both Sonu and Piyush had criminal backgrounds. Sonu had been booked in multiple cases, including rioting and assault on police personnel. Police also revealed that Sonu owned three tippers that were being used in illegal sand mining operations. Piyush too has a tainted past, with several criminal cases against him, including one for attempt to murder....