Patna: A 45-year-old businessman was shot dead by criminals at Patahi in East Champaran district, around 145km north of Patna, on Friday night.

Police said the assailants fired at Pramod Singh while he was sleeping in his house in Belahiram village under the jurisdiction of Patahi police station. The family came to know about the incident when they woke up in the morning.

The sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Pakridayal, Dinesh Kumar Pandey, said on Saturday the deceased ran a grocery shop at Behahigram Chowk, around 32km north of Motihari, the district headquarters of East Champaran. "The reason behind the killing is yet to be ascertained," he added. Pramod's relatives, however, blamed the police for the incident. Criminals had fired upon his shop two months ago when he had refused to pay extortion money to them. "A complaint was lodged against the extortionists but no action was taken against them. That led to his murder last night," alleged a close relative.

Neighbours alleged that the police's callousness could be gauged from the fact even a motorbike was recovered from the spot when the criminals had attacked the trader's shop in October last year. "Pramod had survived then because of the timely intervention of local residents, who had chased the assailants," said a resident of Belahiram village.

The trader's murder is the second crime reported from the district in the past 24 hours.

A minor boy, identified as Ramesh Kumar Mahto, had gone missing from Bhagtahan village under the jurisdiction of Harsidhhi police station of the district on Wednesday. Police recovered his body from a sugarcane field near Mathlohiyar village on Friday.

The boy's father, Rajvanshi Mahto, told the police that Ramesh had gone to Bhagtahan Chowk to get his mobile recharged. "When he didn't return home till late at night, we started searching for him but in vain. Yesterday, we found his body," the grieving father told The Telegraph over phone on Saturday.

A day earlier, a lady bank officer posted as branch manager at Pipra in East Champaran district was held captive by three miscreants travelling in a sports utility vehicle from National Highway 28. The alleged abductors freed her after driving on the busy road for nearly one-and-a-half hours.

The police have failed to make any headway in the incident. "Our men are on the job," said a DSP-rank officer Mundrika Prasad.