puzzle

More than 24 miscreants vandalised two hotels and several cars parked there around 11:30 pm last night. Guests, who confronted the vandals, were reportedly thrashed and their vehicles damaged.

The police have arrested four persons and booked 18 in the case. Those booked have been identified as Nikhil Chaudhary, Baaz and Brahman Rana of Banur; Chetan, Vishal and Jassi of Dhakoli; and Samma, Kapil, Kuldeep, Rakesh, Deepak, Channi, Harpreet, Prince, Lokesh, Sahil Thakur and Deepak of Zirakpur. A case under Sections 309(4), 310(2), 308(2), 331(6) and 111 of the BNS has been registered at the Zirakpur police station.

Praveen Kumar, owner of Hotel G Plaza on the Zirakpur-Chandigarh road and Hotel New Style near the barrier, alleged that a group of persons had demanded Rs 50,000 per month of extortion money. When he refused, they went on a rampage, vandalising his hotels and cars parked outside.

He alleged that a person had created a ruckus in the hotels on July 21 and July 24, and threatened the manager, after which bouncers were deployed in the hotels.