Patna: Police in Patna have arrested builder Ashok Sah for allegedly orchestrating the murder of businessman Gopal Khemka following a business-related dispute. Ashok, originally from Biharsharif in Nalanda district, is accused of paying Rs 3.5 lakh to shooter Umesh Rai, who carried out the killing on July 4 at the gate of Khemka’s house.
The shooter, who was living under the name Vijay in Delhi, was arrested on Monday from the Malsalami area while picking up his child from school. Police recovered from him the bike used in the murder, a pistol, 80 cartridges, two mobile phones, and Rs 1 lakh cash. Sources revealed that he had removed the bike’s number plate before the attack and that he is close to a local MLC.
On the basis of Umesh Rai’s confession, police raided several locations, including Udaygiri Apartment in Kotwali, where Ashok Sah had been living for the last two years. Three people were detained during these raids. Ashok’s son lives in Pune, while his daughter and son-in-law, a grain businessman, reside in Fatuha.
During further investigation, police reached Malsalami early on Tuesday to interrogate gun supplier Vikas, also known as Raja. When the team approached, Vikas opened fire, leading to a retaliatory encounter in which he was shot dead. The incident occurred around 4 am near a brick kiln. A pistol, bullets, and shells were recovered from the site.
Vikas Raja, who was sent for postmortem at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, was a known criminal with several murder charges against him.
