Purnea/Patna: A businessman was shot dead in a brazen daylight attack in Purnea on Tuesday, sending shockwaves through the district and renewing concerns over violent crime. The victim, identified as Suraj Bihari, also known as Suraj Yadav, owned what was described by locals as the city’s largest maize warehouse.
According to police and family members, Suraj Bihari was accompanied by a private armed guard at the time of the attack. The shooting occurred near Newalal Chowk in the jurisdiction of the Maranga police station as he stepped out of his car. Assailants opened fire indiscriminately, discharging at least five rounds, three of which struck Suraj, killing him on the spot.
When his private guard and a cousin rushed forward to help, the attackers also fired at them. Both narrowly escaped unhurt. The assailants then fled the scene along with their accomplices.
The victim’s family has accused two brothers, Brajesh Singh and Nandu Singh, residents of the Newalal Chowk area, of carrying out the murder. The family alleged that the two run a drug trafficking gang and have been absconding since the incident.
The private guard, Prem Kumar, told police that the killing followed an earlier dispute linked to social media activity. He said an argument had broken out on the day of Saraswati Puja between the victim’s younger brother, Uday Yadav, and the two accused over the making of Instagram reels. While that dispute was reportedly settled at the time, tensions resurfaced on Tuesday morning.
According to Kumar, the two brothers and a group of 20 to 25 men allegedly surrounded and assaulted Uday Yadav and one of his friends near Newalal Chowk. Uday later contacted his elder brother, saying he had been taken hostage. Suraj Bihari immediately drove to the spot with his guard after receiving calls suggesting a possible compromise.
“As soon as Suraj got out of the car, they started firing,” Kumar said in his statement. One bullet hit the businessman in the back, another above the waist and a third in the arm, he added.
Suraj Bihari was known locally for his social media presence and frequently posted short videos online. He had recently shared reels featuring a newly purchased Land Rover vehicle.
Following the shooting, Purnea MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav visited the hospital and questioned the police response to the incident. Senior officers, including the Maranga police station officer-in-charge and the Sadar police station SHO, reached the scene with additional force before proceeding to G Hope Hospital, where the victim was taken.
After recording statements from family members, police sent the body for post-mortem examination at GMCH Purnia. An investigation is under way, and police said efforts were being made to trace and arrest the accused.
