Murder case witness killed in Purnia

PATNA: Armed assailants shot dead a farmer Mohammad Shamim (35), a witness in a murder case, at a village in Purnia district early on Tuesday morning.
The incident happened close on the heels of the killing of two witnesses in Sitamarhi district on Monday. Police said that a group of armed men barged into the house of Shamim at Dhelwa village under Bhawanipur police station and fired at him from close range killing him on the spot.The incident took place around 2.30 am when he was sleeping with his wife on the verandah of his house. The marauders, who were stated to be 12 in number, however, escaped unhurt.
The deceased’s wife Subeda told police that she woke up after hearing the sound of firing only to see her husband lying in a pool of blood. She spotted 12 persons fleeing from the site of occurrence. Some local residents rushed to the spot on hearing an alarm raised by her.
She alleged that Shamim had apprehended threat to his life and sought police protection. “He had sent a petition to the local police recently. However, no action was taken by the Bhawanipur police station station house officer (SHO) for reasons known to him,” she alleged.
Dhamdaha SDPO Prem Sagar said an FIR has been lodged against 10 persons on the statement of the deceased’s wife. Old enmity is stated to be the reason behind the murder.
He admitted that the deceased was a witness in a complaint case filed in Purnia court. “Preliminary investigation suggested that both the parties had reached a compromise in the court,” the SDPO told this newspaper over phone.
Bhawanipur police station SHO Vidhan Chandra said raids are on to nab the accused, who are absconding after the incident. Purnia SP Vishal Sharma said the accusation against the SHO will be verified.
On Monday, Ijas Khan and Salman Khan—who were on way to depose before a sub-divisional court in Sitamarhi— were gunned down by SUV-borne criminals. The central government recently issued directives to the states to ensure protection to the witnesses.