Retired Army man shot over land dispute in city’s Bairiya

Patna: Miscreants gunned down a retired Army personnel in Manpur Bairiya area under Gopalpur police station in Patna over a land dispute. The victim, identified as Tejnandan Rai (45), a resident of Ashok Nagar in Kankarbagh, succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a private nursing home.

The incident occurred on Thursday while Rai was overseeing the measurement of land he purchased in 2005 from Chokha Rai, a local resident. According to police, Tejnandan was constructing a house on the plot near his house, and the land was dug up recently using a heavy machine. The accused reached the spot around 2pm and fired multiple rounds before fleeing on foot.


Family members and locals admitted him to a nearby hospital, where he died during treatment. Upon receiving the information, City SP (East) Parichay Kumar, along with Sadar DSP-II Ranjan Kumar and their team, arrived at the crime spot and started an investigation. A forensic team was also summoned to collect evidence.

The SP said some of the criminals have been identified. “The plot, which the Tejnandan purchased in 2005, was bought from a person among the criminals who committed the murder. The accused had a shop just behind that plot, so it is possible that this was the cause for land dispute. However, no information was given to the police station earlier by the family. The police are conducting raids for their arrest,” Kumar said.

He added: “The eyewitnesses told the police that three people came and fired multiple shots. After being hit by the bullets, Tejnandan fell into the pit he dug on his plot. How many bullets struck the victim will be known from the postmortem report. The forensic team was called to collect evidence and the bullet shells.”