Under secretary shot dead inside his residence in Patna

A senior government official has been shot dead by unidentified persons inside his official residence here this morning, police said.

The assailants reached the house of Rajeev Kumar (50), an Under Secretary in the state Department of Planning, around 4 am. They had an altercation with the official and then shot him, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Sachivalay) Rajesh Singh Prabhakar told PTI.

Kumar's government quarter is located in the R-block area under the Sachivalaya police station here.

Rajni, the wife of the deceased, told some local news channels that the gunmen had come with an intention to loot and opened fire when her husband tried to resist. She also alleged that they decamped with valuables worth Rs 30,000-40,000.

Prabhakar, however, said, "We are investigating the matter from all angles. We suspect that some old enmity may also be behind the killing which the family is trying to hide."