Patna: A 32-year-old mason was shot dead allegedly over a dispute involving Rs5,000 in Supaul district on Sunday. The incident took place in Ward no. 5 of nagar panchayat under Veerpur police station area.The deceased, identified as Mithilesh Kumar Mandal, son of Gopal Mandal and a resident of Banelipatti panchayat, was sitting at a shop when three assailants arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire. According to eyewitnesses, the attackers fired around five rounds, killing Mithilesh on the spot.Following the incident, SDPO Surendra Kumar and a team from Veerpur police station reached the spot and conducted an inquire. The body was sent to a govt hospital for the postmortem.Villagers alleged that the murder stemmed from a dispute over Rs5,000 that Mithilesh had borrowed and had allegedly delayed its repayment. They also claimed that the accused were involved in drug trafficking and had carried out the attack after conducting reconnaissance of the victim’s movements.Mithilesh was married eight years ago and is survived by his wife and two sons aged 7 and 5. The victim’s brother, Raj Kumar Mandal, has accused Arjun Mandal, a resident of the same village, of killing Mithilesh.Supaul SP Sharath RS said the accused has been identified and raids are underway to arrest him. He added that CCTV footage and other evidence are being examined as part of the investigation, while the autopsy report will help establish further details of the shooting.
