Police said the disagreement soon escalated into violence as Dheeraj allegedly pulled out a country-made pistol and opened fire. The bullet first struck a wall before hitting Saurabh in the head.

The accused also allegedly assaulted Vineet and threatened the family with dire consequences before fleeing. Family members rushed Saurabh to a hospital, where doctors performed surgery and removed the bullet. His condition is now reported to be stable.

Police registered an FIR against Dheeraj and Monu on charges of attempt to murder. Circle Officer Anshu Jain said, “Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the accused.”

Saurabh got married around two years ago and has a nine-month-old child.

His father, Janakraj, the complainant in the case, said Saurabh had returned home three days before Diwali. “Saurabh and Vineet were bursting crackers when the accused arrived and attacked them. They have an old enmity with our family,” he claimed.

He said Saurabh has been posted at Rashtrapati Bhavan for the past seven years.

Murder over toys

In another incident, a 25-year-old man was killed and another seriously injured after two men allegedly attacked them with knives following a dispute over the purchase of toys at a fair in Dataganj town of Budaun district on Saturday evening.

Police said an argument broke out between the two groups at the stall, which was set up by the accused and his son. During the altercation, accused Mohammad Waris, 30, allegedly attacked the two men Hritik Singh, 26, and Rohit Kumar, 25, with a knife.

The injured men were rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared Rohit dead. Hritik is undergoing treatment in Bareilly, where he was referred by doctors.

Based on a complaint filed by Rohit’s family, police registered a case against two persons.

“We arrested Rais Ahmed, 60, while efforts are underway to arrest his son. The incident stemmed from a dispute over money. There was no history of any previous enmity between the two sides,” said Rishipal Singh, Station House Officer of Dataganj police station.

Ahmed told police that his clothes were stained with blood during the attack. To conceal the evidence, he went to an isolated road on the outskirts of Dataganj town, where he packed the knife and his bloodstained kurta in a plastic bag and hid them.

Rais said he was preparing to flee the area when police apprehended him.