A DJ employed at a club in Jharkhand’s capital, Ranchi, was shot dead in the early hours of Monday by a man carrying what appears to be a sophisticated rifle. Police said the assailant was arrested hours later from Bihar.
Sandeep Pramanik, who was hired as a DJ at Xtreme Sports Bar just 20 days ago, was seen in a CCTV video being shot at point blank range by a shirtless man wearing just shorts and a cloth to cover his face. The video, which has a timestamp of 1.18 am Monday, shows Pramanik walking a few steps after getting shot and then slumping to the ground. The accused is seen walking out the door.
The victim was later taken to hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.
Hours later, police arrested the accused, identified as Abhishek Singh, from Gaya in Bihar.
“Singh was probably on his way home to Patna. We were chasing him and we asked Gaya police for help,” Ranchi SSP Chandan Kumar Sinha said. The rifle he used was licensed in Assa, the SSP said.
According to police, Singh and his friends had consumed liquor in the bar a few hours before the shooting, and had an argument with the staff, including the DJ.
“As of now, we know that the man and his friends entered into an argument at the bar. Employees told us they were misbehaving while dancing and were repeatedly told to calm down,” SSP Sinha said.
Vishal Singh, who took the bar on lease 20 days ago, told The Indian Express that Pramanik’s family lives in Kolkata.
“Sandeep Pramanik was one of the best DJs in Ranchi circle, and he was rehired 20 days ago. An innocent life was lost for no reason. We are trying to establish contact with the family,” he said.
According to Vishal, Xtreme Sports Bar had been operating in Ranchi from 2017 until it was shut down one-and-a-half years ago. It was opened again in May this year, and the bar was leased to Vishal.
“He was a very calm person and never took part in any argument. In fact, the whole incident has nothing to do with Sandeep Pramanik,” Vishal said.
On the incident, he said that there had been a ruckus between two parties at the bar at around 10.30 pm Sunday. “Our employees evicted both parties and we called the police, who arrived around 11 pm and arrested one of those who were creating ruckus. As the situation eased, we shut down the bar, and all the employees began to leave,” he said.
“As soon as Sandeep Pramanik got out from the lift, the accused came with a gun and shot him without even asking anything. Pramanik had no role whatsoever in any of this, and was shot dead for no reason. Actually, the culprit had come looking for the people with whom he had a ruckus earlier. First, he shot Pramanik, and then, when he couldn’t find anyone, he went to the parking area and fired multiple rounds in the air,” Vishal said.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 27-05-2024 at 14:23 IST
