Local residents, including traders, on Thursday staged a demonstration over the rising crime graph in the State Capital. Two brutal murders had shocked the residents within a week. On Wednesday morning residents of Old Commissioner Compound popularly known as OCC compound staged a dharna in the area protesting against the murder of jewellery shop owner Rajesh Kumar Pal.
On Tuesday afternoon Pal was shot dead by unknown miscreants at his residence at OCC compound area. Sources said that around 2.30 pm, six armed miscreants posing as customers entered the house of Pal and collected jewellery at gunpoint. When Pal resisted one of the miscreants shot him from point blank range. One of the bullets hit Pal on his head. He fell down. Hearing the noise of gunshots Pal’s uncle rushed to rescue, but the miscreants also attacked him with a pistol butt and escaped.
Pal was taken to Santevita Hospital, from where he was referred to Medica, where doctors under proper examination declared him brought dead.
Protesting against the incident the residents of the OCC compound staged a dharna demanding immediate arrest of the miscreants involved in the incident, proper security cover for businessmen and compensation to the dependents of the victim.
The area where the incident occurred is at the heart of the state capital. It is near Ranchi Lake. The OCC compound area also houses LEBB school, which is known as Bangla School. As the area is densely populated three police stations including Daily Market, Hindpiri and Kotwali within the distance of one kilometre from the spot.
This is the second incident within a week. Last week, land broker Kamal Bhushan was shot dead by criminals at daylight near Galaxia Mall under Sukhdeo nagar police station area. The incident occurred when Bhushan had gone to meet a lawyer at Devi Mandap area. The bike borne miscreants after committing the incident ran from spot Piska More, one the busiest area of State Capital.
However, a few days back a joint squad of Delhi police’s special cell and Jharkhand police’s special investigation team (SIT) arrested four people for killing Kamal Bhushan many times in broad daylight. Arrests were made in Delhi’s Gazipur neighbourhood on the nights of June 3 and 4.
Rahul Kujur (22), Bhushan’s son-in-law, and his father Dablu Kujur (47), both residents of Hesal under the Sukhdev Nagar police station area, as well as Kawsih Adman (26), a resident of Maulana Azad Colony in the Namkum police station area, and Munawar Afaque (23), a resident of Kanta Toli in the Lower Bazar police station area, are among the four.