The murder of scrap iron dealer Kishan Lal Jain in Bally last month was the handiwork of a Ranchi-based gang, on the run for the past 10 years.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) also found out in the course of its investigation that the members of the gang travelled to Visakhapatnam after murdering Jain and eliminated another target there.

Two men on a motorcycle had intercepted Jain’s scooter and pumped bullets into his head before speeding away on January 23 in Bally.

A scrap iron dealer and a former constable of the state police have been arrested in connection with the killing.

“From the beginning, we had suspected that the murder had been committed by professionals. It would not have been possible for local criminals to carry out such an operation,” said deputy inspector-general (operations) Rajeev Kumar. “The ballistic report of the bullets confirmed our suspicions.”

The report said bullets with the same bore mark as AK 47 bullets were fired from a factory-made sophisticated weapon to kill Jain.

“The bullets were not fired from an AK 47 because then, their length would have had to be 45 mm. The two bullets lodged in Jain’s body were 25 mm long,” explained Kumar.

According to CID officers, a man named Amit Chowdhury controls the gang from Jharkhand. “We haven’t found anyone who has seen him. So, we have no idea what he looks like,” said an investigator. “Scrap iron dealers used to employ Chowdhury to eliminate their rivals.”

The equation between Chowdhury and the businessmen changed soon after he and his men started carrying out operations across the country.

“The gang kingpin then started demanding protection money from the businessmen. Those who refused to pay were murdered,” said the officers.

According to police, scrap iron dealer Sanjay Singh was murdered in 2005 after he refused to pay Chowdhury. “Wherever an auction of scrap iron takes place, his men reach there to control the process,” said an officer.