Aligarh (UP), Apr 13 (PTI) A group of four armed men stormed into a house where a ‘mundan’ (tonsuring) ceremony was taking place and opened fire, killing one of the guests on the spot, in Nagla Karaar locality here, police said on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified by police as Muraari Lal Valmiki, 40, a close relative of the host. He had come to attend the function with his wife and children.

According to eyewitnesses, Muraari Lal was standing at the doorway of the house when the assailants descended there on Saturday night. The attackers hurled abuses at him before firing multiple rounds and then fled the scene on their motorcycles, leaving the shocked guests reeling.

In the aftermath of the shooting, an angry crowd gathered at the Bannadevi police station and held a dharna to demand the immediate arrest of the culprits. Some individuals present near the victim at the time of the shooting claimed to have identified the assailants.

According to the FIR filed by the victim’s wife, she has named one Himanshu Lodhi and several others as being responsible for the attack.

Circle Officer (CO) Rajiv Diwedi told the media on Sunday that a dedicated police team has been formed and a massive search operation has been launched to apprehend the perpetrators.

He also said that some relatives of the alleged assailants have been detained for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation. PTI COR CDN RT RT