Marketing exec shot at

MUMBAI, Nov 2: In yet another shootout, a manager of Allied Deal Int Ltd, Rajesh Pillai, was shot at in the company's office located in th...

MUMBAI, Nov 2: In yet another shootout, a manager of Allied Deal Int Ltd, Rajesh Pillai, was shot at in the company8217;s office located in the heart of Fort Market this evening. Pillai, 28, was rushed to St George Hospital, where doctor attending to him said he was still not out of danger.

According to investigating officer, Inspector M Karbari, the assailant barged into Pillai8217;s office around 3.15 pm and fired three rounds from close range. The bullets pierced the chest, abdomen and right hand of the victim, added Karbari.

Eyewitnesses have described the assailant as a lean man, around 20 years of age. He spoke Marathi and said he had come to meet Pillai and that he was sent by someone in Dadar. Sub-inspector S Jadhav said even as the office assistant, Samir Parker, was speaking to Pillai to find out if the visitor could be sent inside, he rushed into the cabin pushing Parker aside and opened fire. The gunman then slipped past the narrow flight of stairs leading out into the busy Janmabhoomi Marg beforemelting into the crowd. Pillai and Parker were the only employees in the office when the firing took place.

No empty cartridges have been recovered from the scene of the crime, hinting that a revolver could have been used in the shootout.

An employee of a small office in the building, preferring anonymity, said he heard three shots. At first he thought someone was bursting crackers but soon heard somebody crying for help in the adjacent office.

Pillai was the marketing manager of Allied Deal Int Ltd dealing in non-ferrous metals with its headquarters at Noida in Uttar Pradesh. He had moved into the new branch office only in November last year. Panic gripped Fort area as the firing shattered the calm in this business district. However, business was normal in the shopping mall an hour later.

A manhunt has been launched to nab the shooter. Police are also looking into the possibility of the shooting being related to another firing incident at Noida last year.