Patna: Police in Patna have been placed on high alert after the killing of a notorious criminal, Sunil Kumar Yadav, in what investigators suspect may be a gang-related attack.
Yadav, 36, was shot dead on Friday morning outside his residence in Vikas Vihar Colony near Ufar Pura village, under the jurisdiction of Phulwari Sharif police station. Panic spread in the neighbourhood after residents heard multiple gunshots and rushed out to find the victim lying in a pool of blood.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers arrived on a motorcycle and fired at least two shots at Yadav’s head at close range, killing him on the spot. The assailants then allegedly fired shots in the air before fleeing the scene.
According to police, Yadav, a resident of Dariyapur village in Naubatpur police station area, had been released from jail only a few days earlier. Owing to threats to his life, he had reportedly shifted his location and was living in Phulwari Sharif.
Police sources said Yadav had a long criminal record, with more than a dozen serious cases registered against him, including murder and extortion. He had been on the police radar for a considerable period.
Following the incident, the Phulwari Sharif police cordoned off the area and began an investigation. Several bullet casings were recovered from the scene, and a team from the forensic science laboratory (FSL) was called in to collect evidence.
Preliminary findings point towards a possible gang rivalry, with investigators examining Yadav’s past criminal cases and old enmities to identify the motive behind the killing.
The station house officer, Mohammad Ghulam Shahbaz Alam, said the body had been sent for post-mortem examination and that raids were under way to trace the attackers. “CCTV footage from nearby areas is being scrutinised and local residents are being questioned,” he said, adding that police presence had been intensified to prevent any retaliatory violence.
