Bhubaneswar, May 30: Unidentified goons today shot at Ajay Kumar, joint general manager of projects at Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), at 2pm when he was on his way to his Shree Vihar residence in Chandrasekharpur.

Three motorcycle-borne goons stopped Kumar's vehicle and opened fire. However, the bullet missed Kumar and hit the bottom plate of the Scorpio.

"We were on our way to the officer's residence when three persons stopped the SUV and took away the vehicle's key. When the officer opened the car's door, one of them took out a revolver and fired at him," said Tri Bikram Paikray, the driver of the vehicle.

Police suspect tender related issues might be the motive behind the attack. At present, the RVNL is executing some major development projects of the East Coast Railway. The police are not ruling out the role of contractors in the incident.

"This might be the handiwork of any contractor, who might have done this to threaten him," said a cop.

The assailants also asked Kumar to quit his job and return to his hometown Patna.

When local residents reached the spot hearing the gunshot, the goons fled towards Patia village, said Paikray.

Later, Kumar lodged a complaint with the Chandrasekharpur police. "The incident has shocked me but I don't suspect anyone. I had asked them to visit my office if they had any official work with me, but one of them suddenly opened fire at me," he said.

"Further investigation is on to ascertain the motive behind the crime," said Chandrasekharpur police station inspector in-charge Devi Shankar Pratap.