Himachal Pradesh Police on Thursday arrested five persons, including the two alleged main conspirators, in connection with the axe attack on a man in Bilaspur district, around 28 hours after the incident.

The accused have been identified as Saurabh Patial alias Phandi and Kulbhushan Thakur alias Lucky, alleged to be the main conspirators, along with Dheeraj Dharmani, Surya Chandel and Anil Kumar.

According to police, they received information on Wednesday that several persons had allegedly attacked Sunny Gill with axes near the Mandi-Bharari Bridge while he was being taken to a court hearing. Gill, an accused in a 2024 shooting incident outside the Bilaspur court, sustained serious injuries in the attack.

Police immediately shifted the injured man to AIIMS Bilaspur, where he is undergoing treatment and remains in critical condition.

A case under Sections 126(2), 115(2), 352, 352(2) and 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, was registered and an investigation was initiated. Police constituted multiple teams and analysed CCTV footage. During the investigation, police found that the accused had meticulously planned their escape to evade arrest.

Bilaspur Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Dhiman said that within just 24 hours, they changed eight different vehicles, travelled exclusively through link roads, avoided CCTV cameras and police checkpoints. “They hid in the dense forests of Berthin and Banjar and kept their mobile phones switched off to evade technical surveillance,” he said.

“After extensive investigation and analysis of digital and technical evidence, police successfully traced the two accused from Banjar from where they have been arrested. Other individuals involved in the conspiracy including providing logistical support and a vehicle have also been arrested by the police.”

“Both the accused are being brought to Bilaspur for further investigation. Further investigation is going on,” he said.