Man shot dead over old rivalry in Saharsa

Patna: A 29-year-old man was allegedly shot dead over an old rivalry in Saharsa district on Friday night. Police recovered 15 empty cartridges from the spot and were scanning CCTV footage of nearby areas to identify the attackers.According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Satish Kumar Jha alias Chhotu Mishra, a resident of Vidyapati Nagar under the Sadar police station area. The incident occurred when Satish was returning home in his SUV with three friends via Meera Talkies Cinema Road. Five criminals, who were reportedly lying in ambush, arrived at the spot and opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle before fleeing. Satish sustained multiple gunshot injuries in the eye, back, chest, throat and forehead.

His three friends—Roshan Kumar Singh, Sumit Kumar Singh and Gandhi Kumar Yadav, all residents of Vidyapati Nagar—were also in the vehicle. They escaped unhurt and informed the Dial 112 team about the incident. However, police said their cellphones were later found switched off.Satish’s elder brother, Ashish Kumar, said his brother had left home around 6.30pm after snacks. “At around 10.30pm, a youth named Prem called and informed me that my brother had been shot,” he said.

Ashish, along with his father, rushed to the spot and took Satish to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead after examination. Ashish said his brother had enmity with some people, but he did not know their names.Sadar SDPO Alok Kumar said police reached the spot immediately after receiving information and launched an investigation. “The FSL team recovered 15 shell casings of 9mm and other bores. The dog squad has also been pressed into service,” he said, adding that preliminary findings suggest the murder may have been committed due to an old dispute.