Jamshedpur: In a shocking incident, murder case accused and city-based contractor-turned-businessman Upendra Singh was shot dead by two gunmen at the second floor of Bar Association building on the new court premises in Sitaramdera police station area on Wednesday afternoon.
Singh was attacked around 2 pm when he was talking to his lawyer on bail in a pending case. The gunmen shot five bullets � three on the head and two near the pelvis � from close range inside the bar building.
The assailants first fired at Singh, who was busy consulting to his lawyer, in the pelvis area and pumped three more in his head as he fell down from the chair.
His bodyguards also opened fire to counter the attack. About 14 rounds of firing were exchanged from both sides.
The assailants were identified as Dhan Jee and Binod Mogli. The former was taken into custody by the police from the court premises itself while Mogli is undergoing treatment at the TMH.
A bleeding Singh was rushed to the Tata Main Hospital (TMH) where doctors declared him brought dead.
The deceased contractor was wanted in the several murder cases including Ram Shakal Yadav murder case of Bagbera, Sonu Singh murder case and a recent case of firing near Sidhu-Kanhu Maidan near Bagbera PS.
His name also surfaced during the alleged planned killing of three persons near Yarana restaurant at Bhuiyadih bus stand few years back. In a bid to tighten noose around him, district administration had issued a tadipaar order against him to send him out of the district for over six months.
The day after tomorrow Singh was about to go tadipaar (out of bounds of the district). Hence he had gone to the court to consult his lawyer in a bid to get the order revoked by court order.
Singh had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 assembly polls from Jamshedpur West seat on a JMM ticket. He was known as a flourishing businessman, who ran a restaurant at Sakchi bus terminus as well as a transport unit. He also ran Yarana restaurant at the bus stand earlier.
�I can�t believe my eyes. Everything happened all of a sudden. I was coming down from the third floor of the Bar building when I heard the firing. I thought it was a terrorist attack but later found that firing was being exchanged from both sides. The assailants were trapped inside the Bar building as we closed the gates. We also made sure the main gates of the court campus were also closed,� a lawyer recalled.
The police officials informed that two double barrel guns and a 0.9 mm pistol were used during the attack. Senior police officials rushed to the court premises and the hospital soon after coming to know about the incident. SSP Anoop T Mathew and SP City Prashant Anand led investigation into the murder.
The SSP said that the police were investing the incident and that it was too early to comment. He assured that the assailants and conspirators will soon be caught.
Panic gripped the premises as the incident took place at a time when the court usually remains busy. Lawyers ran for safety as a women advocate fell down and received injuries in one of her leg.
The post-firing commotion saw angry lawyers catch hold of the two assailants and beat them up before handing them over to the police. The lawyers also shut the main gates of the Bar building as well as entrance and exit gates of the court campus.
