Accused in Bihar businessman Gopal Khemka’s murder case killed in police encounter

PATNA, JUL 8 : A key accused in the murder of Bihar businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead during a police encounter in the Patna City area late on Monday night, police said on Tuesday.

According to police sources, Vikas aka Raja, an illegal arms manufacturer and seller, is accused of supplying the weapons used in the murder of Khemka. During an operation to nab him late on Monday night, Vikas opened fire at the police, prompting them to shoot back, resulting in his killing, a senior police official associated with the encounter told TNIE.

The encounter occurred during a raid conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and a team from the Special Task Force (STF).

“Criminal antecedents of Vikas are being collected from different police stations in the state capital and outside,” the officer said.

Vikas was involved in the manufacturing and selling of illegal weapons, police said.

Meanwhile, the sharpshooter who gunned down Khemka was arrested under the jurisdiction of the Malsalami police station in the Patna City area on Monday night, police sources said.

Another accused in the case was nabbed during the businessman’s funeral in Patna. Some suspects were also picked up by the police for interrogation during a raid at an apartment near old Patna Museum under jurisdiction of the Kotwali police station.

Speaking on the encounter, JD (U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was monitoring the situation and is being briefed by the senior police officers.

The CM has held a high-level meeting with Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena and Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar to take stock of the situation, Ranjan said.

The JDU led NDA government in Bihar has come under fire after the murder of Khemka that happened in the heart of the city. Opposition parties have slammed the ruling coalition for the allegedly poor law and order situation in the state, putting both JDU and the BJP in a difficult position ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

65-year-old Gopal Khemka, a well-known industrialist, was shot dead outside his residence at the Exhibition Road under Gandhi Maidan police station limits in Patna on July 4.

Khemka, who was associated with the ruling BJP, owned a big hospital in Patna, two industrial units at Hajipur in Vaishali, a petrol outlet and a school. His son, Gunjan Khemka, was also killed by armed men at an Industrial area in Hajipur in 2018.

Police suspect a land dispute behind the murder of the father-son duo. The Khemkas owned 14 bighas of land near Hajipur in Vaishali district.

-PTI