Nurse killed, surgeon hurt in firing incident, four detained

An FIR has been lodged against five persons, including the surgeon’s ex-wife, two nephews and one unknown person under various sections of the IPC

A nurse was killed late on Tuesday after a group of armed assailants opened fired at a surgeon and his staff outside a nursing home situated on Rojpatti Road under the town police station of Sitamarhi, police said.

Shooting a gun in night (Representative image)

The deceased nurse has been identified as Babli Pandey. The surgeon also sustained injuries and is currently undergoing treatment, police said.

An FIR has been lodged against five persons, including the surgeon’s ex-wife, two nephews and one unknown person under various sections of the IPC. Police have detained all of them for interrogation. Police suspect that the accused hired contract killers to eliminate Dr Shivshankar Mahto and his second wife Shabnam. A preliminary probe into the attack suggested that the reason behind the incident could be a property dispute with nephews and a financial dispute with the ex-wife.

After their divorce, Mahto refused to send money to his ex-wife, following which she threatened him with dire consequences, said Sitamarhi SP Harkishore Rai. “The surgeon is now out of danger. CCTV footage has been collected from the spot to identify the gunmen,” said the SP.