Two masked assailant–riding a motorcycle–opened fire at ‘Prem Dhaba,’ located near Lalheri Chowk on GT Road in Khanna.The incident took place around 6:30 am.The attackers arrived on the bike, fired four to five shots at the dhaba’s closed shutter and fled the scene.Onlookers were present in the vicinity at the time of the incident.One of the eyewitnesses, who runs a scooter repair shop near the dhaba, stated that he heard the sound of gunshots immediately upon arriving at his shop this morning.He saw two youths arriving on a motorcycle and opening fire at the dhaba. After the shooting, the attackers fled in the direction of Lalheri Road. The incident appears to be linked to an extortion bid. The owner of ‘Prem Dhaba’ had received phone calls from gangsters a few days back who demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh from the dhaba owner and threatened him with dire consequences if the money was not paid. It is suspected that the shooting was carried out for this very reason—specifically, to instill fear.SDM Khanna Swati Tiwana said that the incident took place in the morning and the police were looking into the matter. Despite attempts, SSP Darpan Ahluwalia could not be contacted.