On Monday evening, a group of masked men barged into Raheja Mall (situated on Sohna Road) and started vandalizing the mall’s property outside the cinema hall. They also damaged a few shops and told the hapless shopkeepers that they will not allow the release of Padmaavat.
The incident occurred in the late evening hours when the mall was buzzing with people. The security company quickly called the police who arrived with extra staff and took charge of the mall. Subsequently, perceiving the danger to other cinema halls and malls, police forces were stationed across the malls and movie halls of the city.
Needless to say the people who were in the mall at the time of the incident were shocked and stirred. “I was with my wife and baby when the masked men suddenly appeared and started attacking the mall. I ushered my family into an electronic shop and started praying that the assailants stay away from this shop. I witnessed terror very closely” said Naveen Saini, a resident of South City I.
Mahendra Pandey who sells paan outside the mall said, “These goons entered with rods and damaged the property inside. And while leaving the premises they threatened me and even broke my shop and fridge.”
An employee of a leading shoe brand spoke to City Spidey on the condition of anonymity. In his words, “The security guards were helpless and could not stop them from destroying property. The police came much later.” Gurgaon News
People across Sohna Road are in a state of shock. “It was a Monday so we were not at the mall. It is a regular joint on weekends for my family. I take my children aged six and eight to the children’s entertainment section. I shudder to think what if the assailants had struck on a weekend. I am not visiting any mall till this issue dies down” said Poonam Choudhary, a resident of Uppals Southend.
While the police is investigating the case, footfalls across malls in the city are bound to suffer in the coming days.
