Scene of the crime: Cops gather outside Infiniti Mall in Malad following the shootout
Three unidentified miscreants fired five shots at a Borivli-based builder in broad daylight outside the Infiniti Mall, Malad (West) while he was on his way out from the mall at 4 pm on Wednesday.
The victim identified as Ajay Gosalia alias Ganda has received gunshot wounds to his shoulder, stomach, leg and hand, while the fifth bullet missed him.
Gosalia was rushed to the nearby Zenith hospital, where he is recuperating and reportedly out of danger. Bangur Nagar police said the shooters were aware that Gosalia was inside the mall and waited for him on the other side of the mall entrance in a vehicle.
"On seeing Gosalia step out from the mall, the assailants crossed the road and fired at him from the road divider," said Mahesh Patil, deputy commissioner of police, Zone-XI.
Cops said the attackers then fled towards Andheri in their grey Toyota Innova, and a manhunt has been launched to trace the assailants. "A case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code has been registered and investigations are ongoing," said a inspector from Bangur Nagar police station.
According to the police, Gosalia is a controversial figure, and had last year filed a case, stating that two persons shot at him while he was standing outside Jaya theatre, opposite Borivli railway station, on March 13. Investigations revealed that he had cooked up the story to secure protection. Cops are scanning the video footage from the mall.
Gosalia was also arrested under MCOCA in the 2004 Malad land-grab case wherein several men barged into a prime plot on Malad Link Road, assaulted the watchmen, and grabbed the property. Gosalia was later released on bail.
Ajay Gosalia received gunshot wounds to his shoulder, stomach, leg and hand, while the fifth bullet missed him.