In a shocking incident that took place late Wednesday night, a man was shot dead by unidentified assailants while returning home with his father in a car in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district, police officials said on Thursday.
The incident took place near the Baridih forest under the Nawadih police station limits.
The deceased has been identified as Hemlal Pandit, a resident of Sirai village in Vishnugarh block of Hazaribagh district.
Both Hemlal and his father, Tulsi Pandit, were known locally for practising exorcism.
According to police sources, the two were returning home after conducting a ritual at a house in Nawadih when the attack took place.
Around midnight, three men on a motorcycle overtook their car and stopped them near the forested stretch. They asked for directions to Vanshi village. When Hemlal rolled down the window to respond, one of the men shot him at point-blank range. He died on the spot.
Tulsi Pandit, Hemlal’s father, immediately informed family members about the incident.
Local MLA from Dumri, Jairam Mahato, who was attending a wedding nearby, rushed to the scene upon hearing the news.
He claimed that he tried contacting several senior police officials, but received no immediate response.
Eventually, the in-charge of Nawadih police station reached the spot nearly an hour and a half later with a team.
The police have recovered the body and sent it for a post-mortem. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway.
Tulsi Pandit has provided descriptions of the attackers, and police are conducting raids in surrounding areas to trace the culprits.
The incident has sparked anger in the area, with locals questioning the delay in police response and the increasing lawlessness in the region.
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