NAROWAL, Dec 30: Five people were killed and five others were injured when three assailants opened indiscriminate fire in vegetable market here on Sunday morning.

The apparent motive behind the gruesome incident is rivalry as one of the victims was pursuing the murder case of his younger brother killed three years ago over a dispute regarding possession of an empty plot in front of their brokerage shop.

Mian Khalid Mahmood was busy in his brokerage in Sabzi Mandi when three assailants equipped with automatic weapons came riding on motorbike and shot at him.

Khalid and four passers-by, Shahbaz Ali, Muhammad Abbas, Abdur Razzaq and Asghar Ali, were killed on the spot while five others, Muhammad Javed, Shafique Butt, Maqsood, Muhammad Azam and Muhammad Zahid, were taken to DHQ Hospital. Javed, Maqsood and Azam were later shifted to Lahore owing to their critical condition.

Mian Saeed, the younger brother of Khalid, was murdered three years ago over the property dispute and Khalid was complainant of the case.

The vegetable market brokers protested the incident and announced closing their business for next three days.

The police started investigations. However, they are clueless as yet.