BHAIRAHAWA, Jan 5: A businessman has been shot dead at Devdaha in Rupandehi district on Friday.
The deceased has been identified as 35-year-old Balu Paudel aka Basanta of Devdaha-5, Khaireni. According to DSP Pawan Bhattarai of Area Police Office, Butwal, two gunmen who came on a black motorbike, shot Basanta from close range at his saw mill in Devdaha-2 at 11:15 am Friday. The gunmen shot him twice in the chest.
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A critically injured Basanta, who was rushed to Lumbini Zonal Hospital, was pronounced dead by the hospital in the course of treatment. The hospital has yet to give postmortem report.
According to eyewitness accounts, the gunmen approached Paudel, who was sitting by a fire outside his saw mill, saying they wanted some logs and handed him a piece of paper. As Paudel tried to read the paper, one of the gunmen opened fire and they fled the scene.
DSP Bhattarai said police have launched a manhunt to nab the culprits.
Incensed by the incident, locals blocked the road for a few hours demanding better law and order.
Murdered Paudel is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. Paudel was the son of CPN-UML regional committee chairman Nilkantha Paudel, who is also a former chairman of Kerabani VDC.
