KOLKATA: A 38-year-old businessman was shot at by unidentified two-wheeler borne assailants late on Sunday night on AJC Bose Road opposite Gorky Sadan.
The victim, Pankaj Singh, a resident of Howrah’s Salkia, received bullet injuries on his shoulder and has been admitted to CMRI Hospital by his friends who were travelling with him.
CCTV footage revealed the victim’s car being chased by at least one bike with two persons on it from Sarat Bose Road crossing before being stopped near Woodburn Road crossing — a distance of almost three kilometres. Cops suspect involvement of two more bikes in the chase. The victim was shot at after he stepped out of the car. The incident is being probed by the Shakespeare Sarani police jointly with the Anti Rowdy Section of detective department.
Police said Singh, who owns a number of businesses, had attended a party hosted by a friend in the Park Circus area and was returning home. Two other friends were accompanying him. Police, though, stated they will ascertain the real cause of his visit to Kolkata since he had flouted night restrictions.
“It was around 11.15pm that Singh’s car took the southern flank of AJC Bose Road to travel towards Howrah. CCTV footage shows that at least one bike, with two young riders on it, tried to stop the car once it crossed the Sarat Bose Road crossing. The car reached in front of Tewari Sweets near Woodburn Road crossing opposite the Gorky Sadan when it stopped at a signal,” said police.
The footage shows the bikers then pulling up ahead. There is also a scooterette nearby and around four persons joined the two bikers at the crossing by the time the car stopped, said police. They made gestures at the car. It was then that Singh came out of the car. His friends reportedly told police that he wanted to know why he was being stopped. An argument broke out and then there was a minor scuffling.
“One of the accused then pulled out a firearm and fired at Singh from the rear. It does seem that a third bike too might have carried friends of the accused. In all, at least eight to nine of them were involved,” said an officer at Lalbazar.
Immediately after firing, the accused fled towards Exide Crossing. “CCTV footage shows that they had split a little ahead in separate directions, probably realizing that there will now be a manhunt. The victim’s friends turned their vehicle towards Woodburn Road and rushed Singh to the hospital. While Singh’s friends and family claimed his rivals might be involved in the attack, both south division and ARS are convinced locals are involved,” said a source.
“They knew the area well and escaped effortlessly. There doesn’t seem to be a previous enmity as the victim might have chosen not to step out at all. But there is always the possibility of someone hiring them. The accused followed them from the party.
However, it is possible that Singh had got involved in a road rage over who gets to drive or ride first and the incident can be a fallout of it,” said an officer at Lalbazar. Raids on a few southeast Kolkata pockets have already begun. The CCTV footage of the entire area has been collected, including those from the hotels nearby.
Kushal Jaiswal, a friend of Singh who was in the same car is helping cops in the probe. “A bike was trying to stop our car for a long time. Singh had stepped out to know why he was doing so when he was shot at from the rear side,” he told cops.
Another friend told police that Singh was having some business disputes for some time now. The entire family is now camping at the hospital and waiting for Singh to recover.
