Chandigarh, May 8 -- In a disturbing case that shows how organised crime networks are exploiting vulnerable youngsters through social media, Chandigarh Police said they prevented a 17-year-old student, who had recently appeared for his Class 12 board examinations, from carrying out a targeted killing in Punjab's Tarn Taran district. Police said the boy, who had allegedly been assaulted by some youngsters in his native village, had approached some foreign-based gangsters via Instagram about two months ago, hoping to seek revenge. The conversations later moved to Telegram, where, investigators said, the gangsters allegedly started grooming him to carry out criminal activities. In March, the gangsters reportedly sent him to Tarn Taran's Khemkaran, where he stayed for nearly 20 days with two gangsters, Love Bhatti and Aman Sharma. During this time, his parents filed a missing person complaint at a local police station. Police said the gang had directed him to open fire at a doctor's shop near Amarkot bus stop, but he refused as he had never handled a weapon before. The attack was then allegedly executed by the two associates. The teenager had returned home after this. Investigators said the gangsters continued to maintain direct contact with the teenager after the Khemkaran episode and transferred money to him on multiple occasions. Police also alleged that he was being pressured to create fake Instagram accounts to help recruit more youngsters into the network. Police started zeroing in on him after his name surfaced during investigations into the March 17 firing incident at Panjab University, where armed assailants targeted SOPU leader Jashan Jawanda during the "Jhankaar" student festival. Police said the attack was linked to the rivalry between the Bambiha and Lawrence Bishnoi gangs. Soon after the shooting, gangsters Doni Bal and Shaghanpreet claimed responsibility on social media, describing it as a warning to rivals linked with the Bishnoi faction. The main shooter, Jaspreet Singh alias Jas, was later arrested after a police encounter in Fatehgarh Sahib. Police said a team of the Operations Cell was patrolling in Chandigarh on May 6 when they got a tip-off about the teenager's presence. Investigators said he had left home a day earlier to allegedly carry out a murder in Patti on the directions of gangsters Parbh Dasuwal and Gurvinder Singh alias Afridi Tootawala. He was also allegedly trying to procure a SIM card in Chandigarh using someone else's identity documents. Deputy superintendent of police (DSP, operation cell) Vikas Sheokand (DANIPS) said, "We had an intel that he was being groomed to execute a shootout in Patti, Tarn Taran. He received money from the gangsters and was in direct touch with them." After being caught, he was sent for counselling and handed over to his parents. No case was made out as he hadn't been found involved in any crime, police added....