Bhagalpur/Naugachia: A PDS dealer was shot dead late on Wednesday evening at Naugachia police district, while armed criminals made a bid on the life of the younger brother of Sonudih Sajor panchayat mukhiya in the heart of Bhagalpur. Both incidents took place just a stone's throw from Naugachia model police station and Ishakchak police station in Bhagalpur.
No arrests had been made till Thursday evening but Naugachia and Bhagalpur police claimed the incidents were fallout of old rivalries and the criminals had been identified and would be arrested soon.
PDS dealer Ramchandra, a resident of Bhawanipur village under Rangra police station who stayed at his second house at Thana Chak in Naugachia township was walking towards a betel shop when four criminals on two two-wheelers shot him dead on the road.
"Ramchandra was walking towards a pan (betel) shop when four criminals on two two-wheelers shot him dead," Naugachia superintendent of police (SP) Nidhi Rani said.
According to her, during initial police investigation it emerged that the murder was outcome of a gang war between two rival groups of criminals. "The dead man was an accused in a murder case and was out on bail," Nidhi said. "Kumodi Yadav, leader of the gang that killed the PDS dealer, is presently in jail. We are trying to eliminate such gangs that create problems here."
In the second incident, just hours after Ashish Bharati joined as the new senior superintendent of police in Bhagalpur, criminals shot at Gopal Thakur, a medicine retailer and brother of Sonudih Sajor panchayat mukhiya Gulshan Thakur, from close range around 8.20pm on Wednesday near railway gate number 3, hardly 50 yards from Ishakchak police station.
Gopal took the bullet in his cheek and somehow managed to drag himself to the nearby police station from where the police rushed him to the Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital.
"Gopal's condition is stable but the bullet is trapped between his cheek and neck," said a doctor at the hospital's casualty ward. Gopal refused to issue any statement on the bid on his life. "Let me recover first, only then will I name the culprits," he told police.
Deputy superintendent of police (city) S. Aktar said Gopal used to supply medicines like Corex syrup and had got into trouble with members of ganster Pappu Sonar's men.
"On Wednesday night he gave us details of those who shot at him, but he has refused to give any statement to the police today (Thursday), saying he would do so after recovery," Aktar said.
The police have started raids as all those involved in the incident are absconding. The deteriorating law and order situation in the city has spread panic among residents.
On the evening of April 19, armed criminals killed a prominent businessman, Amarjit, in front of the head post office, not very far from the place where criminals made a bid on Gopal's life on Wednesday.
The police are still in the dark about who killed Amarjit, but claimed that the main conspirator and one of the shooters had been identified.
"Then Bhagalpur SSP Manoj Kumar was ready to arrest the main conspirator in the Amarjit killing, an influential figure in Bhagalpur, but his sudden transfer deferred the police action. Now it will depend on the new SSP to take a decision," a senior police officer said.
