VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribag, May 11: A case has been registered at the Barkagaon police station on the statement of SUV driver Amrendra Pandey in connection with the shooting of Sharad Kumar, general manager of Ritwik Company under NTPC Chatti Bariatu Coal Mines project. Unknown criminals opened fire on his SUV of Kumar killing him on the spot on Tuesday last. His bodyguard Rajendra Prasad sustained bullet injuries on his waist and is undergoing treatment in Ranchi. Driver Amrendra Pandey escaped unhurt.
On the statement of Pandey, the Barkagaon police have registered a case under sections 302, 307, 353 and 27 A against three unknown criminals.
Sub-inspector Prashant Mishra has been made the investigator of the case. On the other hand, an investigation has been started by forming an SIT (Special Investigation Team) under the leadership of Barkagaon sub-divisional police officer Amit Kumar Singh. The matter is being investigated by forming six separate teams also which are also headed by Singh. The SIT team includes Barkagaon police station in-charge Vinod Kumar Tirkey, Keredari police station in-charge NM Tirkey, Korra police station in-charge Uttam Tiwari, Dadi Kala police station in-charge Manilal Singh, Giddi police station in-charge Sudhir Kumar Sahu and other police officers.
A few teams have also gone outside the state for investigation. In this regard, Barkagaon sub-divisional police officer Amit Kumar Singh said that till now four people are being interrogated in custody and many investigation teams have gone outside the state for the investigation. The police teams are also probing if this case has any link with gangsters lodged in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Central Jail, Hazaribag.
Sources said teams are scanning mobile phones which are active around the place of occurrence. Even they are checking the CCTV footage of cameras installed in the area. Police officials said high-level monitoring is going on in this shootout case and police teams are leaving no stone unturned to reach to the murderers.
After getting information, the regional executive director of NTPC, MVR Reddy reached the mining area and Sikri side office on Wednesday and took stock of the situation.