Debojyoti Ray and (above) Shaqueel Khan in hospital on Thursday. (Sanjay Mandal)

An aeronautical engineering dropout who fancied guns more than planes was arrested on Thursday for shooting at and injuring a DJ and his friend on Ballygunge Circular Road early on March 21.

Sleuths from the detective department arrested Debojyoti Ray, alias Bonkai, from outside a Park Street pub and seized from him the improvised 9mm pistol with which he had allegedly opened fire on DJ Vishal Agarwal, 27, and Shaqueel Khan, 28.

Debojyoti’s alleged partner-in-crime Vicky, who was driving the motorbike used in the shooting, is absconding.

“Debojyoti and his friends had a brawl with another group outside Ginger (a lounge bar in Hazra), following which he and an accomplice went to his Garia home to pick up the pistol. After returning with the weapon, he and the other prime accused went on a motorbike to Ballygunge Circular Road, where Debojyoti shot at the two injured (Vishal and Shaqueel),” said detective chief Damayanti Sen.

The police have booked the arrested Garia youth on an attempt-to-murder charge.

The shooting was in retaliation to Vishal and Shaqueel allegedly siding with Babar Khan, a man with a dubious reputation, in a bar brawl with Vicky over a girl.

Investigators said Debojyoti, who was in Varanasi for a while, had just returned to the city when he became embroiled in the Vicky-Babar spat. “He used to study aeronautical engineering in Pune but failed to complete the course because he was rusticated for opening fire on someone during a brawl. He recently enrolled for a course in mass communication in a Ballygunge institute but studies were farthest from his mind,” said an officer.

Friends told the police that Debojyoti would pin nails on the wall as a child for target shooting with an air rifle. After returning to his hometown from Pune, he would move around with a .32 bore pistol tucked under his belt.

Debojyoti was twice arrested under the Arms Act — first on September 26, 2005, at Beniapukur and then again in October that year in Bowbazar.

On the night of March 20, Debojyoti and five friends, including Vicky, met at Golpark and headed towards Kasba for a round of drinking. The group later shifted to a spot next to Ginger, said an officer.

“While drinking outside the bar, the group spotted a girl with whom Vicky earlier had a relationship arguing with a taxi driver. Vicky tried to step in but the girl refused help and even abused him. He then slapped her, prompting the girl to run inside the bar crying,” the officer added.

Babar, who was inside the bar, came out with the girl shortly after and got into a fight with the group waiting outside.

“During the brawl, Babar threatened Vicky and Debojyoti, saying he knew them both and would settle scores with them. Debojyoti left the place with Vicky and headed home to pick up his gun. The duo returned to the Ballygunge Circular Road dhabas looking for Babar but ran into Vishal and Shaqueel,” the officer said.

Critically injured Shaqueel, who took three bullets in the attack near Azad Hind dhaba, said from his hospital bed on Thursday that he was happy his assailant was finally behind bars.

“I wasn’t involved in any brawl. I was just hanging around with my brother Nadeem, who is a DJ, and his friends,” said Shaqueel, who has spent two weeks in the ICU at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals.

Shaqueel, taken off the ventilator on Monday, said he still felt pain in his abdomen and was unable to speak properly because of the jaw injury. He works in a plastic factory at Park Circus.