Three persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 27-year-old real estate developer who was shot dead in full public view in Howrah’s Pilkhana area early Wednesday, police said.

The arrests were made on Wednesday evening, hours after Mohammad Shafique alias Shafiq Khan was gunned down on a busy road around 4.10am. Officers said the accused had been identified and raids were underway to apprehend the main suspects.

“Preliminary investigations have revealed that there was a financial dispute between the victim and the assailants. We are looking for the killers,” Howrah police commissioner Akash Magharia said.

Police indicated that business rivalry could be the possible motive, though the exact reason would become clear only after the main accused are apprehended.

Shot during sehri outing

Shafique had stepped out of his home to buy food for sehri, the pre-dawn meal during Ramzan, when he was attacked. CCTV footage that surfaced shows him talking to a man as pedestrians moved about in the residential neighbourhood. Moments later, another man loitering nearby pulled out a firearm and shot him point-blank from behind.

The victim collapsed on the road, after which the gunmen fired multiple rounds into his motionless body before fleeing. Most onlookers dispersed immediately after the shooting.

“He called to ask me what I would like to have for sehri,” Shafique’s wife Farhad said.

“He said he was coming (soon). After some time, I received a call that said my husband was injured. Later, we were told that he was no more.”

Shafique’s elder sister Anwari Begum identified the killers as Sheikh Haroon and alleged arms dealer Rohit.

“My brother’s fault was that he was protesting against Haroon’s illegal activities. Now we want justice. If the police do not help us, we will take the law into our own hands,” she said.

Political allegations, protests erupt

The Opposition BJP and the Indian Secular Front alleged that the killers were close to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), citing videos purportedly showing one of the accused riding pillion on a TMC MLA’s motorcycle.

Local BJP leader Umesh Rai alleged that Haroon was a Trinamool youth leader and was close to Howrah North MLA Goutam Chowdhury.

“Photographs showing them riding a bike together are all over the Internet,” Rai alleged.

He said Rohit was an arms dealer and had been arrested before, and accused the MLA of sheltering criminals.

Chowdhury denied the allegations and said it was “not possible to verify the backgrounds of all the people I meet daily” as a public representative.

Responding to the allegation, senior TMC minister Shashi Panja said both the victim and the accused were promoters and business rivals.

"It would be wrong to link this incident to the party or politics. The matter appears to be related to rivalry between the two," she said.

The killing triggered unrest in Pilkhana, with a mob setting fire to a vehicle belonging to one of the accused and hundreds taking to the streets demanding “justice”. Police pickets have been deployed in the area as investigations continue.

With inputs from PTI