Patna, Aug. 31: Police are clueless over the alleged murder of a property dealer in Patna City last evening.

The deceased, identified as Amrendra Kumar (46), went to the office of Kautilya Properties, a real estate agency, located next to the Agamkuan police station, at 7pm on his two-wheeler. Around 10pm Amrendra was standing next to his parked bike, when four persons on two bikes accosted him. They got into an altercation after which the men allegedly shot Amrendra in the chest and head from point blank.

Amrendra died on the spot and the assailants fled. Residents damaged passing vehicles and threw stones at the police station. The police said on Saturday that one Prabhu Mahto, a property dealer and business partner of Amrendra, was behind the incident.

“Though no one has been arrested yet, investigations show Mahto had hatched a plot to kill Amrendra following a business rivalry. Preliminary investigations have confirmed that Amrendra was into a land deal that Mahto was opposed to. At present, we are questioning Mahto’s family members about his whereabouts. We are sure they know where he is. We hope to nab him soon,” a police officer said.

The police have recovered Amrendra’s cellphone. “We are checking his cellphone for clues. The deceased used to reside in Nandlal Chapra area under Ramkrishna Nagar police station with his wife and 22-year-old son. The family denied Amrendra had any enmity with anyone,” another officer said.

Residents complained of police negligence. Arun Kumar, a resident of Agamkuan, said: “How can this happen next to a police station? It shows criminals can commit such crimes fearlessly. This has cast a shadow on police patrolling.”