Patna, 8 July 2025:
One of the main developments in the murder case involving an industrialist, Gopal Khemka, was registered when the body of a suspected main accused, Vikas alias Raja, killed in a police encounter in Patna late on Monday night was recovered by the police on Tuesday morning, police confirmed‛
Malsalami Police Station in Bihar already had an encounter near Pir Damariya Ghat at 2:45 in the morning, about 2 km south of the same station, according to Bihar Police Headquarters, The two accused; one of those who attended Khemka and were alleged to have been part of the planned murder, were the deceased who was around 29 years old and his female accomplice which the latter allegedly provided cover to the main shooter, named Umesh, as he made his attack. The scene has been recovered of a service revolver and live cartridges, the body has been shifted to Patna to conducted post mortem examination.
Last Friday Khemka, 56, the Magadh Hospital owner and director of Bankipore Club was gunned down in the neighborhood of his home in the Gandhi Maidan area. Closed circuit television demonstrates how Umesh shot point blank in a motorbike. This case strangely resonated with the killing of a son of Khemka by the name, Gunjan, who was also killed six years earlier by a bicycle rider.
Umesh had been arrested earlier by Special Task Force and Patna Police jointly during Monday morning at an apartment in Kotwali area. The killing of Vikas during the encounter has been viewed as the turning point in unraveling of the conspiracy to the high profile murder.
When dealing with the operation, a top police officer has claimed that Vikas was cornered and fired in the process of the raid at Udaygiri Apartments. The police fired back killing him after he fired back, according to the officer.
The rapid events of the case’s arrests and one deadly confrontation in a span of days serves as an indication of the urgency of investigation on the case of Bihar. The state government has constituted a Special Investigation Team to look at the possible land disputes as the motive and it is searching inmates in Beur Jail and following up communication links that are mentioned in the FIR.
Nitish Kumar is keeping a close watch on the probe as he held a review meeting on security just a few hours after the murder. He led police agencies to assure prompt justice and stepped up surveillance.
There is a strong reaction on political leaders: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said that the killing of Khemka is a show of a jungle raj in Bihar and JD(U) leader Rajeev Ranjan hailed the move of the police saying, police have killed an accused, who tried to harm them. Nitish Kumar himself is keeping his eye on each incident” in the state”.
As much as the death of Vikas can bring a symbolic closure, the investigators warn that some fore nsic leads, phone records, and financial trails are essential in identifying the entire conspiracy. The material collected during raids and the arrest of the Umesh will also comprise the core evidence. The election season is approaching, law and order in the state of Bihar is under the scanner and the authorities are massively pressurised to ensure all culprits are punished well in time.
