2 murders, 6 years apart, some eerie similarities: Before Gopal Khemka’s killing, his son was a target

Around noon, Khemka received a message on his phone that five minutes ago, “unidentified criminals had shot Gunjan near the factory gate and he had been rushed to Sadar Hospital in Hajipur for treatment”.

Khemka was informed by the driver that a person, approximately 35-40 years old, of strong build, about 5.5 feet tall, wearing a helmet and gloves, “had been waiting near the factory gate”.

“As Gunjan’s car approached, the unknown assailant fired three shots from outside the window. One bullet struck Gunjan on the left side of his chest, the second above the navel, and the third passed through Gunjan’s left wrist and grazed the driver’s left thigh,” Khemka’s complaint reads.

Around 11:20 pm on Friday, Khemka (64) was killed in a similar fashion. According to the police, a suspect wearing a helmet shot two bullets from outside the driver’s window while Khemka waited for the guard to open the door.

While the motive is being ascertained, police sources said Gunjan may have been targeted over a piece of land. Four people were arrested and then released on bail in the case.

Police personnel conduct an investigation at the spot in Patna where businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead on Friday night. (Photo: PTI)

On Sunday, the family claimed the police did not arrest the right suspects back then. A senior officer said that they are relooking at that case too. “We are trying to find if there’s any link,” he said.

Khemka’s younger brother Kishan said he was the eldest of four brothers and four sisters. He lived in Patna with his mother, wife, his other son and daughter-in-law.

“Gopal Bhaiya had arranged a family get-together yesterday. It must have started around 3-4 pm. After that, he probably went to the club. I received around six calls late at night, and when I finally answered, I got the news,” he said.

He said Khemka never mentioned any threat calls.

On Saturday, a large number of people came to pay their respects, including Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Deputy CM Vijay Sinha, Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, and Ravi Shankar Prasad, the MP from Patna Sahib.

Tejashwi called Bihar’s DGP from his home, demanding swift action in the case. At one point, Khemka’s sister, Radha Prasad, broke down and asked him, “Sir, you promised us (after Gunjan’s death) that nothing like this would happen again. Then how did this happen?” To this, Tejashwi replied, “Even outside my own house, there have been shootings. The administration is not in our hands.”