Man accused in 50 cases shot dead by three men at Dehradun mall: Police

Senior superintendent of police, Dehradun, Ajai Singh said a gang war is suspected to be the reason behind the murder

A 45-year-old man accused in 50 criminal cases was shot and killed by three unidentified men on Friday morning at a shopping mall on Dehradun’s Rajpur Road, police said.

Vikram Sharma, who owned a stone crusher in Udham Singh Nagar, was living in a flat on Canal Road for a decade, police said. (Representative photo)

Police said the deceased, identified as Vikram Sharma, was returning from a gym when three people fired at him at 10am and fled the scene on a motorcycle.

Sharma, who owned a stone crusher, was living in a flat on Canal Road for a decade, superintendent of police (city) Pramod Kumar said

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dehradun Ajai Singh said a gang war is suspected to be the reason behind the murder.

“As per eyewitnesses, when the deceased came outside his gym inside the shopping complex, two assailants who were waiting for him opened fire at him when he stepped on the escalator. They fled the scene with the third accused on a motorcycle,” Singh said.

The SSP said Sharma was facing over 50 criminal cases, including 20 of murder.

“He was a gangster in Jharkhand. We suspect that there was a gang war behind the murder. We, however, are working on all angles. We are also in coordination with the Jharkhand police,” he added.

This was the second murder in the state capital in 48 hours and the fifth in 16 days. On February 11, the 42-year-old son of a martyred Colonel was shot dead near Tibetan Market.

The Uttarakhand Congress stepped up its attack on the government over the law and order situation.

“Dehradun has emerged as the country’s crime capital as there is a steady surge in criminal incidents, including heinous offences such as murder, robbery, dacoity and rape. Law and order has completely collapsed not only in Dehradun but across the state,” Uttarakhand Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana said.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the state government was committed to the safety of every citizen and that the arrest of criminals in each case was a testament to the robust law and order situation in the state.

BJP state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said, “The government is committed to public safety. The fact that criminals have been behind bars in each case is a testament to the robust law and order situation.”

“Some tragic incidents have occurred recently, but the perpetrators have been put behind bars after each incident, and the police will soon solve the murder case that occurred in the capital today,” Chauhan said.