One arrested in Muzaffarpur shooter’s murder case

Patna: One accused has been arrested in connection with the murder of shooter Govind Sharma, who was shot dead on the night of May 31 in Town police station area of Muzaffarpur. Police said the victim and the accused were part of the same syndicate but had fallen out over disputes.

According to the probe, the fallout stemmed from an ongoing land dispute and a disagreement over an SUV.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Muzaffarpur SSP Kantesh Kumar Mishra said an FIR was registered against Onkar Singh at Town police station on June 1 based on the statement of Sharma’s wife, Anjali Kumari. “Onkar has been arrested by a SIT,” he said.

The SSP said Onkar and Govind had jointly executed three major crimes: the 2018 murder of former Muzaffarpur mayor Samir Kumar, the 2023 killing of property dealer Ashutosh Shahi, and a 2022 extortion demand of Rs 50 lakh from another property dealer. Govind was a co-accused in all three cases.

During a search of Onkar’s house, police recovered documents linked to 30 land parcels. “If anything suspicious emerges, a proposal will be sent to the ED for action under the PMLA,” Mishra said.

He added that some criminals were staying on the fourth floor of the same apartment, though their exact number is not known. Two packets of liquor were recovered from their room, and a separate case has been registered.

“Prima facie, firing took place in the basement of the apartment after Govind arrived,” the SSP said. No CCTV footage of the incident was found; a camera installed at the spot did not record anything.

On allegations of a woman’s involvement raised by the victim’s wife, the SSP said the matter is still unclear. An audio clip, purportedly of accused Babul Choudhary claiming responsibility, has surfaced on social media. “The clip will be sent for forensic examination,” he said.

Onkar, a native of Begusarai, is the son of Vijay Singh, a former district agriculture officer who also served in Muzaffarpur. Police said Onkar came in contact with local land mafias during his father’s posting and later entered the crime network. He currently resides in PN Colony under Mithanpura police station area.