Wailing family members of Ashok Gupta at Magadh Hospital on Monday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Five assailants shot dead a liquor trader in the state capital on Monday morning while the streets were wrapped in security blanket during the 12-hour shutdown called by CPI-ML (Liberation) and supported by opposition parties.

The dawn-to-dusk bandh was called to protest the killing of two persons in police firing Madhubani last week.

Police said around 9.15am, Ashok Gupta, the middle-aged trader, had stopped at Mahadeo Mishthan Bhandar near Uma cinema in Patna City’s Kadamkuan locality to have breakfast with a friend, Babloo. The five criminals riding two motorbikes approached from behind and shot at Gupta from close-range. One of the two bullets hit him on the head and the other in the stomach.

The assailants then sped away towards the north after hurling at least two crude bombs to terrorise passers-by, causing a minor splinter injury to a 23-year-old youth, Ravi Kumar.

Gupta, a resident of Lohanipur, around 2km from the spot of incident, had criminal antecedents and was in liquor business, the police said. Sources said Gupta had allegedly played a role in the murder of liquor trader Prem Kumar Singh, whose body was recovered from Kumhrar level crossing on May 9. No headway has yet been made in the case.

The police have detained Babloo, Gupta’s friend, who accompanied him to the spot, for interrogation.

“Initial investigations revealed that Gupta rarely left his house before breakfast. On Monday, Babloo coaxed Gupta to accompany him to the Kadamkuan shop for tea and snacks on his motorbike. He had also promised to drop Gupta home. They had barely parked the motorbike and started walking towards the shop when the criminals attacked Gupta,” a source in the police said.

“The police recovered some shells from the spot. This indicates that a single-barrel pistol or gun was used to kill Gupta. Hearing the shots, some passers-by rushed towards the spot. The assailants hurled two bombs to scare them away and sped away on their motorbikes. Gupta was rushed to Magadh Hospital, 2km away, in an autorickshaw. He was declared dead by doctors at the hospital,” a source said.

An officer at Kadamkuan police station said: “We cannot divulge details. But Gupta had criminal antecedents. He was in liquor business and had recently forayed into real estate. Gupta is suspected to have played a role in the murder of Prem Kumar Singh though his name did not figure in the FIR. It might be a revenge killing but we cannot say anything for sure now. Investigations are on. Babloo is certainly a suspect as he brought Gupta to the spot. Gupta’s body has been sent for post-mortem.”

Family members of the trader declined to speak to the media.