Failed revenge shooting in Palamu; hired gunman arrested, mastermind absconding

Daltonganj, Nov 23: A years-old family dispute has culminated in a failed murder attempt in Palamu district, where Haidernagar police arrested a hired gunman allegedly contracted to kill a man linked to a 2022 suicide. The alleged mastermind behind the attack remains at large. According to Palamu SP Reeshma Ramesan, the incident has its roots in the 2022 suicide of the cousin sister of Prince Mehta, who believed that one Niraj Chandravanshi had provoked the circumstances leading to her death. Although the family never lodged an FIR against Chandravanshi, simmering hostility continued between the two men for years.

Investigators stated that in an attempt to avenge his sister’s death, Mehta allegedly hired Akash Kumar Singh, also known as Golu Singh, for a sum of seventy thousand rupees to kill Chandravanshi. On November 1, 2025, Akash allegedly opened fire on Chandravanshi, who sustained a gunshot wound in his back but recovered quickly. Following the attack, the SP formed a Special Investigation Team headed by Hussainabad SDPO S. Mohammad Yakub. The SIT cracked the case within three weeks, arresting Akash, who confessed during interrogation.

Police recovered the clothing Akash wore at the time of the shooting, including a white shirt, grey jeans, grey shoes and a red gamchha, along with two mobile phones used during the commission of the crime. Meanwhile, the main accused, Prince Mehta, remains on the run. Another associate, identified as Sumeet Mehta, has also gone underground. Akash was produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody on Saturday evening in Daltonganj.

SP Reeshma Ramesan addressed the media on Saturday afternoon, accompanied by SDPOs S. Mohammad Yakub and Mani Bhushan Prasad, detailing the investigation and ongoing efforts to apprehend the remaining accused.

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