Elderly watchman shot dead in Pratapgarh, probe on

An investigation is underway and suspects were being questioned to identify and arrest the miscreants, said police.

PRAYAGRAJ: A 65-year-old watchman, identified as Harishchandra Mishra, was shot dead by unidentified miscreants in Purwa Majhilgaon village under Kunda police station of Pratapgarh district on Wednesday night. The victim, a retired water works department employee, was working as a watchman at a mixer plant on the Prayagraj-Lucknow highway. His body was first spotted by his nephew Bheem Mishra who raised an alarm and called the police.

The body has been sent for autopsy and efforts are on to identify the culprits, police said. (HT Photo)

The body has been sent for autopsy and efforts are on to identify the culprits, police said. A resident of Purwa Majhilgaon village, Mishra used to stay the night at his nephew’s tea stall, located close to the mixer plant. Around 8 am on Thursday, when Bheem reached his tea stall to open shop, he found blood spots on his uncle’s mattress. When he pulled the mattress, he found Harishchandra’s body lying in a pool of blood.

A bullet wound has been found on the man’s body, said police. Following the incident, ASP Rohit Mishra reached the spot with teams from many police stations and carried out investigations. Police teams also found an empty cartridge from the crime scene. On the complaint of deceased’s son, an FIR has been registered. An investigation is underway and suspects were being questioned to identify and arrest the miscreants, said ASP Mishra.