In a shocking incident, a 45-year-old trader was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants near his home in Awaleshpur under Rohaniya police station limits late Monday night. The victim, identified as Jitendra Kumar Patel, managed to ride home after being shot and narrated the incident to his family before succumbing to his injuries at the Trauma Centre of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) early Tuesday.
Police Investigation Underway
Police officials stated that the motive behind the murder remains unclear and no arrests have been made so far. Investigators are examining CCTV footage that captured the movement of the suspects and are probing all possible angles, including a reported ancestral land dispute in Chandauli district.
DCP (Varuna Zone) Pramod Kumar said that Patel had spoken to police officials before his death and denied having any enmity with anyone. His mother, Sudama Devi, informed the police about a dispute related to their ancestral land in Baburi village of Chandauli district. However, she also ruled out any serious conflict with the family cultivating the land that could have led to the murder, the DCP added.
Details of the Incident
According to police, Patel, a resident of Saurabh Vihar Colony in Awaleshpur, owned a general store located some distance from his house. As per his routine, he closed the shop at around 11 pm on Monday and left for home on his motorcycle. After travelling nearly 500 metres, he was allegedly ambushed by two masked assailants on a motorcycle, who shot him in the back before fleeing.
Despite the gunshot injury, Patel managed to reach home on his motorcycle and informed his mother about the attack. Family members immediately rushed him to a nearby hospital, from where he was referred to the Trauma Centre at BHU. He battled for life for several hours before succumbing to his injuries early Tuesday morning.
Victim's Family Background
Patel was the eldest of three brothers and lived with his mother, his wife, Reenu Devi, and his two sons, Atul alias Lucky and Ayush. During treatment, he provided details of the incident to police officials.
Sudama Devi told investigators that the family owns around three bighas of agricultural land in Baburi, Chandauli, which had been leased to a Yadav family for cultivation. She said there had been a dispute related to the land, and police are examining whether it had any connection to the murder.
