Spice trader shot during blackout

Patna: A 35-year-old spice trader, Pintu Kumar Sao, was shot dead in Patna City’s Musallahpur Hatt area on Thursday evening during a 15-minute blackout mock drill.Pintu, a local resident running a garlic, spice and grocery shop in the vegetable market, was sitting at his stall when an unidentified assailant shot him at close range and fled on a bike.A police team from Sultanganj thana reached the spot soon after and launched an investigation. A forensic team was also called, and the body was sent to PMCH for post-mortem.Patna City SDPO-I Raj Kishore Singh said the incident occurred during the scheduled blackout from 7pm to 7.15pm. “The attacker fired from around 10 feet and escaped on a bike. No robbery took place, indicating a targeted killing over an old dispute,” he said.Police said a week-old dispute is being probed. CCTV cameras were non-functional due to the blackout, delaying identification. A murder case has been registered and raids are underway.