Indore: 3 men visit doctor for cold, cough treatment, shoot him dead

Sunil Sahu, a 30-year-old doctor, was shot dead at his clinic in Madhya Pradesh's Indore. The assailants initially posed as patients.

A 30-year-old doctor was shot dead at his clinic in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district late Friday night by accused who came on the pretext of seeking a treatment for cold and cough, police said on Saturday.

Late Friday night, a 30-year-old physician was shot and killed at his clinic in the Indore region of Madhya Pradesh. (ANI)

The incident happened on Friday night, news agency ANI quoted Rajendra Nagar Police. Pretending to have a cold, the accused went inside the clinic and even paid 450 rupees for a consultation. They got their medication and went out, said Vinod Kumar Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP, Indore Zone 1).

The clinic was located under the jurisdiction of Rajendra Nagar police station in the city.

ACP Rubina Mizvani also attested to the doctor's one gunshot wound.

“On the night of December 27 at around 11:30 pm, three unknown people shot Dr Sunil Sahu (around 30 years old) dead at his clinic in the city. We have constituted several teams to investigate the matter and to nab the accused. The probe into the matter is underway and soon we will be able to reveal the facts related to the incident,” DCP Meena said.

The act was committed at night while there was a power outage and intense rainfall. He stated that as a result, the CCTV cameras in the clinic did not record any footage of the accused, according to ANI.

The officer further said, "According to the post mortem report, the doctor was shot once in the chest. When the police questioned a compounder at the clinic, he told the police that three persons entered in the doctor's cabin and he heard the sound of a bullet firing. The compounder also saw them running away from the clinic."

After being taken in an ambulance to Sankalp Hospital, Dr. Sahu was subsequently sent to Unique Hospital where the doctors declared him dead.

During questioning, Deepak, Sahu's compounder, revealed that the assailants had first arrived for medical attention but had returned armed, demanding cash and valuables.

Sahu surrendered his wallet and ATM card in a threat. He later attempted to speak with one of the assailants after recognising them, as reported by The Freee Press Journal.

The police reportely tracked a phone number belonging to a person named Tiwari. The number was used to call the doctor earlier that evening, the report said, adding that Tiwari revealed that two individuals had borrowed his phone to make the call.

Since Dr Sahu allegedly directed some patients from Rau and Mhow to his clinic, the authorities are now looking into any ties to private clinics in these locations. Further issues concerning any professional competition or personal animosity are raised by the compounder's employment at a private pathology lab, according to The Free Press Journal.

Prima facie, it is revealed that the accused came for the treatment of cold and cough. According to police intelligence, it came to notice that the accused also performed recce of the spot for around 3-4 hours before committing the crime. Therefore, it was pre-planned murder and further investigation into the matter is underway, an officer said.