VARANASI: Two persons were shot dead and two others critically injured after unidentified assailants opened fire inside a mall in the city's Cantonment area on Wednesday afternoon. The injured remain hospitalized in a serious condition.Witnesses said the miscreants entered a showroom around 4pm and called someone out. When one of the accused took out a pistol, the store manager caught him and the pistol dropped to the ground in the scuffle. Meanwhile, the accused's aides opened indiscriminate fire, injuring four people.“Initial investigation revealed that a dispute over some discount on goods triggered the shooting,” IG Varanasi Vijay Singh Meena said, and added that the police were investigating the matter from other angles too.“We are working on two theories: dispute over discount and an old feud,” the IG said.“There miscreants went to a showroom and asked for someone. Following a dispute, one of them opened fire. It seems that the miscreants were known to the people at the showroom, as the they called a person. One of the miscreants has been identified and police are behind him,” he added.“Several teams have been constituted and a manhunt has been launched to nab the miscreants,” police said, adding, “a pistol left behind by the miscreants and 13 used cartridges were recovered from the spot.”Being festive season, there was a great rush for shopping in the mall on Wednesday. According to eyewitnesses, the miscreants went to the showroom around 4pm and called out someone. When one of the miscreants took out the pistol, the showroom manager caught him and his pistol fell on the ground in the scuffle. Meanwhile, his aides started indiscriminate firing in which four persons were hit. The miscreants fled the scene after the incident unchallenged.Panic prevailed in the mall when gunshots were heard. The injured persons were rushed to a private hospital in Maldahiya area where two of them, identified as Sunil and Gopi, were declared brought dead. The others, Vishal Singh and Chandan Sharma, were undergoing treatment at the hospital.The police evacuated the mall and sealed the showroom after the incident. A forensic team was also engaged to collect evidence while the police were investigating the security system of the mall and how the miscreants managed to enter it with pistols.In mall shootout case the inspector of Cantt police station and in-charge of Nadesar outpost were sent to lines for negligence in duty.

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