The meat shop in front of which Kishore Pandey and his aide were killed on Wednesday evening. Picture by Animesh Sengupta

A 38-year-old resident of Patratu, who police suspect was the kingpin of an extortion gang that bullied coal traders in that Ramgarh town, was gunned down along with a friend in the crowded Kadma market of Jamshedpur on Wednesday evening.

While Kishore Pandey and Bablu Singh (37), also a resident of Patratu, succumbed to four bullets each — some on the chest — Pandey’s bodyguard, Suman Singh (32), sustained a wound on his right leg. Police are yet to ascertain the number of assailant/s who came on a bike, fired nine rounds around 6.30pm and disappeared in the melee.

Sources in police said that both aides of Pandey, who has several criminal cases pending against him in Ramgarh, were armed, but were caught unawares and didn’t have the time to fend off the lightning swift attack.

East Singhbhum SSP Amol V. Homkar said soon after the shooting, all three were rushed to Tata Main Hospital, where Pandey and his friend were declared dead. The bodyguard is out of danger.

Homkar said that Pandey, who was visiting his wife and two children at Vijaya Heritage in Kadma, and the two others had come to the market in his SUV to buy meat when the biker/s launched the gun attack in front of 300-odd people.

“The number of assailants or the motive behind the attack is not clear, but we suspect it is linked with coal business in Patratu (Ramgarh) and Khelari (Ranchi). We suspect the Sushil Srivastava gang of Ramgarh may be behind the attack,” the SSP said, adding that Pandey was wanted in more than 50 criminal cases in Patratu and Khelari police stations.

“A clearer picture will emerge once police investigation advances. There was no local reason behind the twin murders. This must be a case involving two rival gangs. A year ago, Bhola Pandey, who was a kin of Kishore Pandey, was also killed in gang rivalry in Ramgarh,” the senior officer said.

Homkar said they had spoken to Pandey’s bodyguard, who was an eyewitness to the attack. “Pandey’s driver Mohammed Sukar Alam was also present, but not near the firing site. He said the trio had come to Jamshedpur from Patratu last (Tuesday) afternoon.”

Speaking to this correspondent, Alam said he was relieving himself in the corner of a lane when he heard the loud bangs, but thought they were sounds of crackers. “But, when I came to the meat stall, I found them (Pandey and the others) in a pool of blood,” he said.