The spot on Ratu Road where Jitendra Paswan was shot dead on Monday afternoon. Picture by Hardeep Singh

One person was killed while another was wounded in a shooting, suspected to be the fallout of a gang rivalry, in the heart of Ranchi on Monday afternoon.

A group of four, believed to be members of the infamous Sandeep Thapa gang, intercepted Jitendra Paswan (30) and Prakash Yadav (35), who were on foot, in front of the Reliance Fresh outlet on Ratu Road in Sukhdeonagar and fired seven rounds around 3.30pm.

While Paswan died on the spot, Yadav was rushed to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS). The body has been sent for post-mortem.

DIG, South Chotanagpur, Sampat Meena who visited the spot confirmed that both the victims had criminal history. She said primary probe suggested gang rivalry. “We are gathering details,” she added.

The incident took place near the private residence of state Assembly Speaker C.P. Singh and police said the criminals fled through Amrood Bagan locality.

An officer at Sukhdeonagar police station also claimed they had identified the gang behind the shooting.

“The group, we suspect, is led by extortion kingpin Sandeep Thapa. The youths targeted today had some dispute with the Thapa gang and had even fought on collection of extortion money at Piska More bus stand a few days ago,” he said.

Local residents supported the extortion angle, saying criminals had a free run in the area. “They force businessmen and people who have purchased land here to cough up money. Secluded pockets have become gambling dens. Girls fall victim to molestation. Two years ago, a murder had taken in the locality. The Sukhdeonagar police are aware of the situation, but they have failed to stall the rising crime graph,” a local resident said, expressing his concern over shooting in daylight.

Though the incident sent shockwaves through Ranchi, business activities remained almost normal along Ratu Road for the rest of the day.