Triple murder jolts Muzaffarpur

Three people were killed and two others injured when four unidentified gunmen on motorcycles opened fire in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district. The incident is believed to be a case of a land dispute, according to police. The assailants fired more than 30 rounds and police recovered 20 empty cartridges from the scene. The exact cause of the incident is still under investigation.

Three persons were shot dead and two others injured by four unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district Friday night, police said on Saturday.

Bihar’s opposition leader, BJP’s Vijay Kumar Sinha, accused the Nitish Kumar government of brining back ‘jungle raj’. (HT file)

The incident occurred in the Town Thana area, where the assailants gunned down Ashutosh Kumar Shahi (45), a prominent real estate agent, and his security guards Mohammed Nizamuddin and Rahul Kumar, a senior officer said.

The two injured in the incident, which took place on Chandwara Azad Road, include a lawyer.

According to police, Shahi was discussing some legal matters with his lawyer Mohammad Syyed Qasim Hussain at the latter’s residence and officer around 9.40 am when the assailants entered and sprayed bullets. While Shahi and Nizamuddin died on the spot, Rahul succumbed to his injuries at a government hospital.

Qasim and Shahi’s third bodyguard, Om Prakash Singh, are undergoing treatment after sustaining bullet injuries.

“The exact cause of the incident has not been ascertained so far, but prima facie, it appears to be a case of land dispute,” Muzaffarpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rakesh Kumar said.

The assailants fired more than 30 rounds, eyewitnesses said. Police recovered 20 empty cartridges from the spot.

According to police, Shahi was an accused in the sensational murder of former Muzaffarpur mayor Samir Kumar, who, along with his driver, was shot dead in the same area on September 23, 2018.

Shahi had filed his nominations as an Independent in the 2019 parliamentary elections from Muzaffarpur constituency, but his candidature was declared invalid.

Rajesh Kumar, a neighbour of the lawyer injured in the incident, said the four assailants arrived on two bikes at the lawyer’s house. Two of them entered the house while the other two stood guard outside.

“Suddenly, I heard several gunshots. Minutes later, the two assailants came out, indiscriminately firing at Shahi’s private bodyguards. One of the guards, standing on the main gate of the house, received multiple hits, while a second tried to flee. The assailants chased and shot him several times. The third was held captive by them, taken outside the campus and shot,” Rajesh said.

Another eyewitness, a woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told HT that she had informed the police control room about the incident, but the police reached the spot about 45 minutes later.

Additional director general (ADG) of police (headquarters) Jitendra Singh Gangwar said old enmity and land dispute appeared to be the reason behind the crime. “Six separate teams under the supervision of Muzaffarpur SSP have been constituted for the investigation of the case, identification and arrest of the assailants. Raids are on in Muzaffarpur and adjoining districts. Police are also scanning CCTV footages,” he said.

Meanwhile, leader of Opposition in Bihar assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, said chief minister Nitish Kumar had succeeded in bringing Bihar back to “jungle raj” with his new allies. “The way law and order has deteriorated in the state, there is fear. In Begusarai, a woman was stripped and beaten up. Barely a few hours later, a businessman is shot with four others. Three have died,” he said.