Patna: A plywood trader was shot by bike-borne assailants near BMP-6 under Mithanpura police station area in Muzaffarpur district on Wednesday morning. The victim, 32-year-old Viresh Kumar, son of Shyam Poddar and a resident of Jail Road, sustained gunshot wounds to the back and chest. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition by the police with assistance from locals.

The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, according to the police.

“The incident occurred as Viresh was on his way to his shop on a scooter. Two bike-borne criminals pursued him from the Jail Road area. The rider wore a helmet, while the passenger’s face was uncovered. Near the DAV turn, just before BMP-6, the assailant fired at Viresh from behind, hitting him in the back, then approached him and shot him in the chest. The entire incident was captured on CCTV, and a passing woman also witnessed it,” said Town SDPO-1, Seema Devi.

The SDPO added that Viresh was admitted to a private hospital in critical condition. “We are working to identify the criminals seen in the CCTV footage, and checkpoints have been set up in the direction the criminals fled,” she said.

“The police are questioning the businessman’s family to uncover the reason behind the attack. Preliminary investigations suggest that he may have been targeted by hired criminals. However, his family has yet to file an official complaint. The investigation is ongoing,” the SDPO concluded.