ROURKELA: Hours after being shot at, local gang leader Jitendra Sha (30) succumbed at Ispat General Hospital here in the wee hours of Saturday.
Sha’s supporters participated in the funeral procession at Railway Colony giving a tough time to the police which arrested Amir Khan, one of the assailants, soon after the murder.
Anticipating further trouble, the police also held a peace committee meeting to prevent anyone from giving the incident communal colour.
Rourkela SP Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo said Sha, before his death, had identified five persons along with an unidentified assailant who had shot at him.
He said Sha’s aunt Laxmi Devi who also received a bullet on her leg while trying to rescue him is stable.
Denying large gathering for Sha’s funeral, Bhamoo said not more than 100 persons were allowed to participate in the procession.
Sha was talking on phone in front of his house at Railway Colony within Plant Site police limits when six persons arrived in 2 motorcycles and opened fire at him at around 7 pm on Friday.
He ran for safety but the assailants accosted him and pumped three to four bullets in his body. As Laxmi rushed to rescue him, she was also hit in her leg.
Sha’s murder is believed to be a fallout of the murder of rival gang leader Dilshad Khan (32) on June 7 last year. Dilshad was beaten to death by a group over past rivalry at the Railway Colony playground.
Later, Sha along with eight others were arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder. Sha was arrested and released on bail two months back.