Gangster connection, real estate conflict: What authorities are investigating in Patna entrepreneur’s killing.

Bihar Police, investigating the murder of prominent businessman Gopal Khemka, now believes gangster Ajay Verma—currently imprisoned in Beur Jail—may be involved in the crime. Khemka was killed by a motorcycle-riding attacker close to his residence on Friday night.

Gaurav Khemka, the younger son of Gopal Khemka, has lodged an FIR against an unidentified individual. Sources indicate that Ajay Verma was also interrogated during a raid in Beur Jail carried out by senior officials from the Bihar Police.

Authorities believe the homicide is connected to a land conflict and are treating the case as a potential contract murder. Gopal Khemka, proprietor of Magadh Hospital – among the oldest private hospitals in the state – was killed by gunfire the moment he exited his vehicle near an apartment adjacent to his home, Panache Hotel, in the affluent Gandhi Maidan neighborhood on Friday night.

In the meantime, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP regarding the murder, asserting that the ruling NDA coalition has  “turned Bihar into the crime capital of India.”

“Today, Bihar lives under the shadow of loot, gunfire, and murder. Crime has become the new normal, and the government has completely failed,” he tweeted.

The Congress MP further appealed to the people of Bihar, urging them not to vote for a government “that cannot protect your children” in the upcoming Assembly elections.