A key accused, Vikas alias Raja, linked with the brutal murder of Magadh Hospital owner Gopal Khemka, was shot dead by Bihar Police in the early hours of Tuesday. After receiving a tip-off about Raja, a police team left for Damariya Ghat around 2:25 am. A police official confirmed that Raja tried to escape and opened fire upon seeing the cops.
Sharing details about the accused, police said Raja was involved in the illegal sale and manufacturing of weapons. He was accompanied by a shooter named Umesh during the murder of the victim. As per the circular issued by the police, live cartridges and a pistol were recovered from the encounter spot. The body of Raja has been sent to a government hospital for postmortem.
In a statement released by Bihar Police: “As per verified information received from the district control room, the Station House Officer of Malsalami Police Station reported that around 2:45 am on the night of July 7/8, 2025, a police encounter took place near Pir Damariya Ghat, approximately 2 km west of the police station.” The statement further disclosed that during the encounter, a 29-year-old criminal, Vikas alias Raja, son of Pradeep Mahto, resident of Daudchak Nagla under Malsalami Police Station, Patna district, was killed.
JD(U) leader Rajeev Ranjan shared that, as per police information, the accused in the Khemka murder case was attacking cops while being arrested. He added that the Chief Minister is closely monitoring the incident. This shootout happened a day after two arrests were made in the same case by the Special Task Force and Patna Police. One of the arrested accused was the key person who pulled the trigger.
The tragic murder of businessman Gopal Khemka occurred on Friday; he was brutally shot outside his residence in Patna around 11:40 pm. Seven years ago, his son was also gunned down in Hajipur. Following the incident, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held an urgent meeting to review the situation and ordered a thorough investigation.
