Armed criminals shot dead a 30-year-old man, the son of a prominent businessman, at a crowded location in Purnea district town on Tuesday morning, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Suraj Bihari alias Suraj Yadav, son of maize trader Jawahar Yadav, a resident of Khuskibagh locality under Sadar police station limits.
Purnea superintendent of police (SP) Sweety Sahrawat confirmed the killing, which took place under the jurisdiction of Maranga police station. “The accused have been identified and special police teams have launched raids at their possible hideouts to arrest them,” she said.
According to the SP, a dispute between the accused and the deceased escalated after a photograph of a girl was uploaded on social media. “The matter is being investigated from all angles,” the SP said, adding that the postmortem had been conducted and the body handed over to the family.
Police said Suraj, accompanied by his private security guards and younger brother Uday Yadav, had reached Newa Lal Chowk to resolve the dispute, which reportedly arose during Saraswati Puja. “As soon as he stepped out of his SUV, armed assailants opened indiscriminate fire, killing him on the spot,” an officer said.
The accused are suspected to be involved in a drug racket, particularly the trafficking of brown sugar (smack), in the region. “Police have conducted several raids against the racket in the past, but it continued to operate,” a senior officer admitted.
{{/usCountry}}The accused are suspected to be involved in a drug racket, particularly the trafficking of brown sugar (smack), in the region. “Police have conducted several raids against the racket in the past, but it continued to operate,” a senior officer admitted.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Purnea MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who visited the hospital, accused the police of collusion with the drug and liquor mafia and demanded the immediate arrest of all those involved in the killing.