Dalkhola businessman shot by miscreants near Bihar border

Raiganj: Tension gripped the Purnea More area in Dalkhola of North Dinajpur district after unidentified miscreants shot a local trader on Monday evening.

The injured businessman, identified as Mantu Basak, was first taken to a local hospital and later shifted to a private nursing home in Kishanganj, Bihar, for better treatment. Sources said Basak runs a grocery shop at Purnea More and had gone to Baisi in Bihar earlier in the day.

According to residents, while returning home in the evening, Basak was attacked near the Bengal–Bihar border at Purnea More. Miscreants allegedly arrived on a motorcycle from the Bihar side and suddenly opened fire at him before fleeing the spot. A bullet reportedly pierced his back. Hearing the gunshot, locals rushed to the spot, rescued the injured trader and immediately took him to the hospital.

Nitish Das , a local stated: “The Purnea More locality has increasingly become a safe haven for anti-social elements. Criminals often cross the nearby border and target traders and commuters in the area. In the past, police have also recovered narcotics and arrested several suspects from the locality”.

A senior officer of Dalkhola Police Station said that an investigation has been initiated. Police are coordinating with their counterparts in Bihar to identify and arrest the culprits involved in the incident.