While the bullet missed the target, the eyewitnesses saw a man alight from the Indica and run towards the adjoining fields. The car driver, on the other hand, sped towards Kharar.

One of the men travelling in the Gypsy, however, was quick enough to catch hold of the person who was running away. Two others in the Gypsy, meanwhile, chased the speeding car and intercepted it after a short while.

Soon, the eyewitnesses said, both the car-borne youths were bundled into the Gypsy while one of its occupants took over the wheels of the Indica and followed the Gypsy to an undisclosed destination.

The whole drama, which unfolded in full public view, remained a mystery till it was confirmed by the Mohali police that the men in the Gypsy were the officers of its Narcotics Cell.

Though the Narcotics Cell head, Sub-Inspector Tarlochan Singh, denied any gunfire, he admitted that the youths were caught after a long chase — from Chando village in Mohali.

The accused were identified as Gagan Sharma of Kurali and Jaswinder Singh of Malakpur village in Mohali. A cache of intoxicant drugs, including 4,900 tablets of Phinotil, 200 capsules of Parvon Spas and 12 bottles of Cilcof cough syrup, was found from the car, officers said. The Narcotics Cell had a tip-off that certain youths sold these drugs to students outside schools and colleges in different parts of the district.

The cell laid a trap near Chando village and signalled a Tata Indica to stop. The driver, however, sped away through the dusty link roads to escape the police. The Narcotics Cell personnel finally managed to catch them near Desumajra village.