Lucknow: Post-mortem examinations of three men killed in a shooting triggered by a parking dispute in the Saadatganj area showed multiple bullet injuries, with each victim sustaining two gunshot wounds, police said on Tuesday.Preliminary ballistic assessment has indicated that around 10 rounds may have been fired during the incident, investigators said.The victims were identified as Shivaji Tiwari (62), his younger brother Shivendra Tiwari (55) alias Shambhu, and Shivendra’s nephew Suyash Tiwari (30).The three were shot dead on Monday in the Naubasta locality of Brahmani Tola after a dispute between two neighbouring families over vehicle parking and the use of a vacant plot near a banyan tree escalated into violence.Police said the quarrel had been simmering over the construction of a platform around the banyan tree in front of the accused’s house and the alleged parking of vehicles on adjoining land. On Oct 26, the confrontation allegedly intensified, with the accused acting together to surround the three men, abuse them and assault them with sticks and stones before shots were fired.Six people have been arrested in connection with the triple murder. The prime accused, Rishabh Shukla (29), was arrested on Monday. Police said a country-made .30-bore pistol and ammunition allegedly used in the crime were recovered from him. Five others were arrested on Tuesday, and two suspects remain at large.Investigators said forensic scrutiny is focused on the weapon, ammunition and the sequence of firing. The seized pistol has been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory for a striation test, which examines microscopic markings left on bullets and cartridge cases to match them with a specific firearm. Police said this examination is expected to help establish whether the recovered pistol was the weapon used and to reconstruct the firing pattern.Police also said preliminary findings suggest that a new magazine was used during the firing. Investigators suspect the magazine was purchased by Rishabh, and that the weapon was reloaded and fired again during the assault.The origin of the firearm is also under investigation. Police described it as an illegal pistol allegedly sourced from Munger in Bihar, and said forensic and investigative work will seek to trace procurement and movement of the weapon.Those arrested are Rishabh Shukla (29), Satish Shukla alias Munna Babu (69), Girish Kumar Shukla (78), Dinesh Shukla alias Chhunna (62), Priya Shukla (38) and Aditi Shukla (24). Police said Rajesh Shukla and Divya are absconding.Police said they recovered the pistol, six live cartridges, six empty cartridge cases and two magazines. An iPhone 17 was also recovered from the five accused arrested on Tuesday.Police said they are examining the specific role of each accused. Records checked by investigators show that Rishabh Shukla, Satish Shukla, Dinesh Shukla and Aditi Shukla were named in a 2020 case involving rioting, voluntarily causing hurt and intentional insult, while Girish Kumar Shukla was listed in another 2020 case involving rioting, causing hurt and criminal intimidation.
