Murder convict on parole shot dead in Patna hospital, six detained

A case has been registered and the matter is being investigated, said the SP, adding that a manhunt has been launched to nab the accused.

Patna: A man, who was a murder convict and out on parole, was shot dead by gunmen inside a private hospital in Patna on Thursday, police said.

The deceased was identified as Chandan Mishra (36), a resident of Buxar district, and was admitted to the hospital for treatment, a senior officer said.

Police have identified all the accused and detained six suspects in Patna and Buxar in connection with the incident.

A purported CCTV footage of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed that five armed men were entering the ICU of the hospital and opening fire at the person.

PTI couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the video.

Speaking to PTI, Jitendra Rana, Inspector General (IG) of central range (Patna), said, "Several teams have been formed to nab the accused. Police have identified all the accused who were involved in the killing of Chandan Mishra. At least six people have been detained in Patna and Buxar in connection with the incident."

Patna (central) Superintendent of Police Diksha said, "We are examining CCTV footage collected from the hospital and other spots. Searches are underway to nab the accused at the earliest."

Chandan Mishra, convicted in a murder case, was lodged at Beur Jail and had gone to the hospital for treatment on parole, she said, adding he was involved in 24 criminal cases, including more than 12 murder cases.

"Police received information that a person was shot at by gunmen inside a private hospital in Patna at 7.30 am on Thursday. The incident took place when the deceased had come for treatment at the hospital. He was on parole," the SP told PTI.

The man was admitted to the ICU of the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, the officer said.

A case has been registered and the matter is being investigated, the SP said, adding that a manhunt has been launched to nab the accused.

Prima facie, it appears that old rivalry might be the reason behind the murder, she added.

"Criminals, protected by the government, shot at a patient admitted to a Patna hospital. Is anyone safe in Bihar? Did such an incident happen in Bihar before 2005, during the RJD's rule?" party leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged on X.

Independent Lok Sabha MP from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, also alleged that the shooting has completely exposed the Nitish Kumar government.

"Law and order have completely collapsed in the state. I would demand the imposition of President's rule when I meet the governor. Criminals are being killed on the basis of their castes," he claimed.

Yadav went to the hospital but was not allowed to enter the health facility by the security guards deployed there. Later, Yadav claimed that he received an anonymous call in the evening in which the caller told him to maintain a distance from the killing incident in the hospital.

"The caller asked me to stay away from this murder case. It was a threatening call. I am telling the DGP that I am keeping mum only because I respect the law. Everybody knows the killers in today's incident. I know who killed Gopal Khemka's son... he was killed for a piece of land. There was a politician behind the murder of Khemka's son," Yadav told reporters in the evening.

In another incident, a person was killed by some persons outside his house in Patna's Shahpur locality on Thursday morning, another officer said.

The deceased has been identified as Shubham alias Bunty, he said.

"A police team reached the spot and found that the man had been killed outside his house by some unidentified persons. The deceased was attacked by sharp-edged objects," the officer said.

"The body of Shubham was sent for the post-mortem examinations, and further investigation is underway," Patna City SP (West) Bhanu Pratap Singh told reporters.

The exact cause behind the murder is not yet known, he said, adding that a case has been registered.