The residence of businessman Ajay Shankar Tiwary, who was shot dead in Patna on Saturday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, March 3: A 40-year-old businessman was shot dead today barely a few yards from his residence, the chilling murder punching holes in the administration’s claim of effective policing in the state capital.

Around 7am, Ajay Shankar Tiwary was returning home after walking down his seven-year-old son to the school bus pick-up point when at least three rounds were fired at him. He was rushed to Magadh Hospital but doctors said he was brought dead.

A resident of Dwarika Puri, Sector-4 under Patrakar Nagar police station, Tiwary was into the business of lubricants used in machines and vehicles. Besides, he owned a wholesale store in the Tiwary Bechar area and a retail shop at Kankerbagh.

Tiwary stayed in a joint family comprising his parents, two younger brothers and their families.

“The man, known to be decent and well-mannered, also has a year-old daughter. Early in the morning, the lane where Tiwary’s house is located was deserted. No one had witnessed the attack or the assailants. But it seems more than one culprit were involved in the attack,” an officer at Patrakar Nagar police station told The Telegraph.

“The victim was about 50 metres from his house when he was shot from behind. His neighbours said they rushed out of their homes on hearing the gunshots and found Tiwary lying in a pool of blood. We are trying to find out if the criminals had come on motorcycles,” he added.

Though the victim’ s kin refused to talk to the media, sources said Tiwary was doing well as a trader. The sources also did not rule out business rivalry as a cause of the murder.

“Things are very sketchy at present and investigations are on. Tiwary might have had a business partner. Though nothing concrete can be said at this moment, all angles are being probed into. The main road, from where the school bus picks up his son, is barely a 10-minute walk from Tiwary’s house. It is clear that it is a well-planned murder. The assailants knew for sure that the lane where he stayed would remain empty in the morning and accordingly waited to gun him down,” the police officer said.

“The investigation will definitely lead to a breakthrough. The mobile phone details of the deceased are being taken out and they can give a lot of answers. Other forms of investigations are also on. We are also talking to his family and the neighbours,” the officer added.

When contacted, Patna senior superintendent of police Alok Kumar said a probe team under deputy superintendent of police (sadar) Rashid Jama had been constituted and the police were doing their job. “We will catch the culprits very soon,” the senior officer added.