MillenniumPost
Bengal

Promoter shot dead at point-blank range

Kolkata: A 35-year-old man was shot dead from point-blank range in broad daylight by his business partner at Bright Street under Karaya police station area on Tuesday morning. The incident was a fallout of a long-standing dispute over possession of an apartment just beside the victim's residence. The accused, who lives in the adjacent building, has been arrested later in the evening.
Both the victim Fazlur Rehman, alias Atikur, and the accused Sheikh Idris, alias Bhola, were into real estate business and has been working as partners for the past few years. Bhola lived in an apartment just adjacent to the house of the victim.
Locals went berserk after the incident and ransacked the office room of the accused that was in the same apartment where he lived. Some papers and other things that were inside the office lay scattered on the way that led to the apartment. "We will not let an assailant live here as we feel that nobody here will be safe. We demand exemplary punishment for the accused," a neighbour said.
Sleuths investigating the case informed that the accused has criminal antecedents and had spent several years behind bars after being arrested in a case of attempt to murder in the same area. It was eight years back when he was released and from then on, he has been into promoting business. "My brother was about to drop his son to school and both of them were getting ready. He had just stepped out of the house when he met Bhola who was accompanied by three others. Soon an altercation broke out between the two. I tried to stop them but suddenly Bhola took out a firearm that he was carrying and shot my brother. The bullet hit his stomach and he fell down on the ground writhing in pain with blood oozing out. Bhola immediately fled from the spot as many others came out of their houses hearing the sound of the gunshot. We rushed him to SSKM Hospital where he was declared brought dead," victim's brother Adil said.
Sleuths probing the case informed that both Atikur and Bhola had a flat each in the apartment beside their house that was constructed 18 months back. The flat that Bhola possessed had 30 square kilometres less space than what was promised to him. He was of the opinion that it was Atikur who had influenced the landlord regarding the same. Atikur had told him that he could pay for the less space but Bhola insisted that he would be given more space in the flat and money will not compensate for it.
"It was around 8.30 am when I heard the two involved in a heated argument. During the altercation, Bhola threatened to shoot Atikur while the latter dared him. The angry exchange of words went on for nearly 10 minutes. Suddenly, I heard a gunshot. I rushed out of the house and tried to get hold of Bhola. But he gave me a sudden jerk and managed to escape," Sheikh Aslam, the victim's next-door neighbour, said.
Locals informed that the accused was a spendthrift and had returned from a family visit in Baghdad just a day back. However, Atikur would always stand by the locals in the neighbourhood in times of need.
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