Undertrial shot dead outside Patna court

An undertrial prisoner, Haribansh Rai (34), was gunned down by unidentified criminals outside the Patna civil court on Thursday. The attackers also lobbed bombs before fleeing, injuring half-a-dozen people, including court lawyers.

The victim was accused in over a dozen cases relating to rape, murder, dacoity and kidnapping. He was brought on Thursday in judicial custody for production in a case relating to murder and is believed to have been killed by a rival gang. Three criminals riding a scooter shot dead Rai from a close range while he was having tea along with police escorts outside the court premises. While fleeing, the criminals hurled three crude bombs. Policemen escorting the undertrial also fired two rounds but the attackers managed to escape unhurt.

“It seems to be a case of gang war. Rai was one of the main accused in the murder of a notorious criminal, Anil Yadav, in Patna over a year back”, said IG (Patna Range) Ragvardhan Sharma. He said efforts were on to nab the culprits.

The incident comes two days after an RJD leader, Pappu Khan, was shot dead in the state capital prompting opposition RJD to demand the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.