48yo man killed while trying to save trader in Pilibhit; 3 held

Pilibhit: A 48-year-old cloth merchant, Rakesh Gupta, was shot dead on Thursday evening in Bilsanda town while attempting to save a bicycle trader from armed contract killers.Around 5 PM, over a dozen motorcycle-borne assailants targeted 26-year-old bicycle trader Pankaj Katiyar, assaulting him with a pistol butt over an ongoing family dispute. When Gupta rushed to rescue Katiyar and grabbed one of the attackers, another gang member shot him in the chest. Gupta succumbed to his injuries at a Bareilly hospital.Police suspect the hitmen were hired by Katiyar’s father-in-law, Ramesh Chandra Katiyar, following a domestic dispute. Ramesh Chandra and his two sons have been detained for questioning.An FIR has been registered against seven named and eight unidentified suspects under BNS sections for murder, attempt to murder, and criminal conspiracy. Multiple police teams are tracking the absconding hitmen identified via CCTV footage.Following the murder, local traders briefly blocked the Bilsanda-Shahjahanpur road in protest on Friday morning, clearing out after police assured swift arrests.