A youth impersonating a patient whipped out a gun and shot at a person accused in multiple criminal cases when he was being taken for a check-up at the Hooghly Imambara district hospital in Chinsurah on Saturday morning.

Police are yet to arrest the accused but said the incident was the result of rivalry between two gangs of goons.

Chinsurah police on Saturday morning brought around five accused persons in their custody, including one Toton Biswas, for a medical check-up at the district hospital. The shooter, who was pretending to be a patient near the Emergency, suddenly turned up with a gun and shot at Biswas multiple times before fleeing. One of the bullets hit Biswas to the right of his chest. He has been shifted to a Calcutta hospital for better treatment and is reportedly stable.

Police said they have identified the gang responsible for the incident.

“The injured person is stable now. We have identified the gang and the person accused of firing will be arrested soon,” said Chandernagore commissioner Amit P. Javalgi.

Sources said Biswas, a notorious criminal, was in prison after being found guilty in one of the cases filed against him. Recently, police had taken him into custody in connection with a separate criminal case.

Many patients and their relatives at the hospital said they were in trauma even hours after the shooting.

“My mother is admitted to the hospital and I came downstairs to purchase some medicine. I saw the youth firing at another in broad daylight. I was immobilised in shock five minutes as I saw a firing for the first time in my life,” said Sunayana Haldar.

“We asked police to take special measures before bringing notorious criminals to the hospital. The incident spread panic not only among those who saw it but patients who heard gunshots from their beds,” said a health official.