Bizman shot dead in Doon; 4th murder in 2 wks in dist

Dehradun: A 40-year-old businessman was shot dead near the busy Tibetan Market, barely 600m from the police headquarters and less than a kilometre from the SSP's office, in Dehradun on Wednesday morning. This is the fourth murder reported in the district and the second in the city in a fortnight, raising concerns over law and order in the state capital.Arjun Sharma, a resident of Indira Nagar in Vasant Vihar, was returning from a tennis session when two men on a scooty allegedly opened fire on him around 10.30am, police said. Officers from Dalanwala police station rushed to the spot and shifted him to Doon Hospital, where doctors declared him dead due to excessive blood loss. Sharma owned a gas agency on GMS Road.The gunshots triggered panic in the crowded market, said eyewitnesses. Shops briefly downed shutters as passers-by gathered at the spot before police cordoned off the area. A heavy force was deployed, and senior officers, including IG Garhwal Rajeev Swaroop, inspected the crime scene.Preliminary probes pointed to an ongoing dispute within Sharma's family over the business, said police. Sharma's wife, Abhilasha Sharma, filed a complaint naming her mother-in-law and three others, citing financial disputes and alleging a conspiracy behind the murder. An FIR was subsequently registered at Dalanwala police station under BNS section 103 (murder). Police learnt that Sharma's mother had earlier approached Uttarakhand high court seeking security, alleging a threat to her life from her son. SP (City) Pramod Kumar said a district-wide drive had been launched to trace the accused. "Intensive checking is underway, with barricades set up and vehicles being thoroughly searched," he said, adding CCTV footage and other surveillance inputs were being examined.The killing comes amid a spate of violent crimes in the district over the past two weeks. On Feb 2, a 22-year-old woman was hacked to death in broad daylight in Machhi Bazaar. On Jan 28, a 17-year-old girl died after she was attacked with a sickle and stones in Vikasnagar's Dhalipur area. On Jan 31, a contractual worker at AIIMS Rishikesh was allegedly shot dead by her lover at her rented house in Shivaji Nagar.