Two people were killed and two more injured after unidentified miscreants opened fire inside a showroom at a mall in Varanasi on Wednesday after allegedly being denied a discount, police said.

The incident occurred in the evening at the JHV Mall in the Cantt police station area, they said.

The deceased have been identified as Sunil and Gopi, officials said.

The injured, Golu and Vishal, are undergoing treatment at a hospital, where their condition is stated to be critical, they added.

The incident occurred inside a clothing store where an argument broke out between the accused and a salesperson over the rate of discount, police said.

As the argument escalated, the accused opened fire at showroom staff and fled from the scene, they said.

Four people with injures were rushed to a hospital, where two died during treatment, officials said.

Senior police officers reached the spot soon after. The showroom was sealed and people from the mall evacuated, they said.

A search operation was launched to nab the assailants and CCTV footage was being inspected, police added.