Balasore: A trawler owner was shot dead by masked miscreants over suspected past enmity at Naupalagadi near Balaramgadi river mouth under the Marine police limits in the district, Monday.
The deceased was identified as Bijay Kumar Pradhan, a former sarpanch of Baincha panchayat and a resident of Ghodapada village.
The incident occurred when Pradhan was supervising unloading of fish from one of his trawlers at Naupalagadi in the afternoon.
Fishermen were unloading fish from a trawler when four to five youths reached the spot on two bikes and had tiff with him on some issues. The unidentified youths suddenly attacked him with sharp-edged weapons, Marine police IIC Gopal Chandra Singh said.
Pradhan tried to save himself by running inside his trawler when the miscreants fired four rounds of bullets on his chest and neck before absconding.
Pradhan collapsed on the spot. Police reached the spot and took him to the district headquarters hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
Police have registered a case and launched a manhunt to nab the culprits, Singh said. SDPO Prabhas Chandra Pal and Chandipur IIC Prabhu Kalyan Acharya also visited the spot and took stock of the situation.
PNN
