A man was shot dead on Friday next to a police station and barely a kilometre from where Governor Lal Ji Tandon and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi were attending an event, the daylight murder once again exposing how criminals have lost all fear of police in the state capital.

Tabrez alias Tabbu (45), an alleged sharpshooter of jailed don-turned-RJD politician Mohammad Shahabuddin, was killed next to the Kotwali police station. The large number of police and security forces deployed for an event at Vidyapati Bhavan featuring Tandon and Modi failed to deter the killers, as did the security blanket thrown on the city in light of Muharram processions.

Tabrez was about to open the door of his Tata Safari (registration number BR-01-PB-5309) parked in a lane adjacent to the police station when two men on a bike came up to him, pumped five bullets into him, and rode away.

A large number of people including some media persons witnessed the incident.

“It was around 3.15pm; we were having tea at a roadside stall,” said an eyewitness. “Two motorcycle-borne assailants wearing helmets rode up to Tabrez. The assailants fired five rounds to his chest. We could hear the shots loud and clear. The victim fell on the road. We raised an alarm, but the two assailants escaped towards Sinha Library Road.”

The eyewitness said a police van reached the spot nearly 15 minutes later. Tabrez was rushed to Patna Medical College and Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

Senior officers, including Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj and city superintendent of police (SP) D. Amarkesh, rushed to the spot. “The police are going through the footage from CCTV cameras installed in the area. Raids are also being conducted to nab the assailants,” Maharaaj said.

The lane where the murder happened had no CCTV camera.

Police sources said Tabrez had cases of murder, loot, and extortion lodged against him at police stations in Dhanbad, Nirsa, Jehanabad and Patna, that he was close to several politicians including a former chief minister, and that he was eyeing an Assembly ticket from a major political party.

Tabrez had his roots in Jehanabad, but was living with his family on Fraser Road for the past few years.

Police sources said they suspect that the trigger for the murder was a dispute over a plot of land in Phulwari on the outskirts of Patna. Tabrez’s widow has named seven persons, saying that they had threatened her husband over phone three days ago. “An FIR has been lodged against seven persons on the statement of the victim’s widow,” said SP Amarkesh.

The Opposition lost no time in attacking the government. “It seems law and order is not on the priority list of the government,” said RJD MLA Bhai Birendra. “Posting of SHOs (police station house officers) is being done on contract. Under such circumstances one cannot expect better performance from SHOs. The results are obvious.”