Police inspect the area where Mohammed Firoz was shot in Patna City on April 27. Telegraph picture

Patna, May 12: Shootouts in full public view leading to bloodshed cannot be just restricted to 1990s’ Mumbai. In Patna, too, there are crime lords who don’t think twice before ordering their henchmen to bump off their enemy in matter of seconds.

Shootouts in the state capital have become a regular menace and the police said a majority of these incidents are the result of gang rivalry. The fact that criminals stroll through busy roads and shoot anyone they feel like in full public view, shows the amount of the confidence they enjoy.

On May 11 evening, a few criminals killed one Rashid Mian, an autorickshaw driver at the busy Manas Path area under Khajekala police station area of Patna City.

Rashid, known to have a criminal background, was on the road when a few men shot at him three bullets and fled. He was rushed to a local hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

On May 9, trader Manish Rai was stopped by criminals near a bridge and was stabbed. The eyewitnesses saw the victim trying to flee after being stabbed following which the criminals opened fire at him.

Forty-year-old Mohammed Firoz was shot by five men on April 27 in broad daylight, only 30m from his residence at Fakirbara locality in Lodhikatwa under Khajekala police station of Patna City.

On April 16, Pawan Kumar, a conductor of a Patna-Muzaffarpur passenger bus was pulled out from the vehicle by two men and shot dead in front of the passengers. The incident occurred at Ram Lakhan Path under Kankerbagh police station area.

One Rakesh Kumar, a property dealer and the owner of the Khushi Durbar Marriage Hall in Alamganj police station area was shot at on March 10 as he was getting out of the hall in the evening.

On January 21, 55-year-old Shivnath Ram, an accountant with Anupam Prakashan, a publishing house, was shot on BM Das Road under Pirbhore police station. The incident took place at 8.30pm when he was on his way home.

Police said in most of the cases, the victims had some criminal background. “The police know for sure that Rashid had a criminal history. Though investigations are on, a rivalry can be said to be the reason for the murder. The killing of Mohammed Firoz, too, can be the result of the same as he too had a criminal history. But in many of these cases, there have been arrests. Two persons were arrested in connection with the murder of property dealer Rakesh. Many people who were involved in the killing of Pawan Kumar, the bus conductor were also arrested,” said a police officer.

Police sources accepted that though the cops had tracked down and solved some cases, murder in full public view was enough to create fear among residents of the city.

“The killing of Mohammed Firoz was shocking as the man was chased by five men into a narrow lane before he was shot at from a point-blank range. When he tried to flee, the men hurled crude bombs that spread terror among the residents. The criminals just walked away after killing him. This is enough to spread fear,” another police officer said.

“If criminals start killing people in broad daylight and walk away exploding bombs, one can easily understand the kind of confidence they have. These cases are a challenge for the police,” said Ramesh Sinha, a shopkeeper at Alamganj.

Killing spree

May 11: Rashid Mian, an autorickshaw driver, killed at the busy Manas Path area under Khajekala police station area of Patna City

May 9: One Manish Rai, a businessman, stopped by criminals near a bridge and stabbed to death

April 27: Forty-year-old Mohammed Firoz shot by five armed men in broad daylight, only 30m from his residence at Fakirbara locality in Lodhikatwa under Khajekala police station of Patna City

April 16: Pawan Kumar, a conductor of a Patna-Muzaffarpur passenger bus, pulled out from a vehicle by two men and shot in front of the passengers

March 10: Criminals kill property dealer Rakesh Kumar, the owner of Khushi Durbar Marriage Hall in Alamganj police station area, in the evening

January 21: Fifty-year-old Shivnath Ram, an accountant with Anupam Prakashan, shot on BM Das Road under Pirbhore police station at 8.30pm