Businessman shot dead in Dehradun, second murder in city in 48 hours

A businessman was allegedly shot dead in Dehradun on Friday. The incident took place near Silver City Cinema, on Rajpur Road. This is the second murder in the city in the last 48 hours and the third in 11 days.

Vikram Sharma (50), who was returning from the gym, was shot dead, and the assailants fled from the scene. Sharma's family currently resides in Dehradun, and he was originally from Kashipur, Uttarakhand.

Dehradun Superintendent of Police (City) Pramod Kumar informed that the incident occurred around 1:15 am. He added that Sharma owned a stone crusher in Udham Singh Nagar district.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh said that preliminary investigations revealed over 50 cases registered against Sharma in various states. It is suspected that a rivalry may be the motive behind his murder, potentially linked to some cases in Jharkhand, the SSP added, reported PTI.

Before leaving the gym, Sharma contacted his close friend Saurabh Singh, asking him to meet at the location. Singh told PTI, "Vikram had already been murdered by the time I arrived."

The police are examining the case and found that Sharma conducted business in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, not just in Uttarakhand.

The string of three murders in Dehradun over the past two weeks has created an atmosphere of fear and unease among residents.

On Wednesday, a gas agency owner was shot dead in broad daylight outside the Tibetan Market, located in the city centre. Additionally, on February 2, a 22-year-old woman was murdered, her throat slit with a sharp weapon, police said.