Araria (Bihar) [India], July 7 (ANI): Unidentified assailants shot at a man and killed his 12-year-old son while they were sleeping in the verandah of their house in the Mahalgonj area of Araria district, said police.

The minor boy died on the spot, while his father sustained critical injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Purnia, they said. The victims were identified as 40-year-old Maujasin and his son, Abu Aurera (12).

According to the police, the incident occurred in Kakorwa, Ward No. 9, within the limits of the Mahalgonj police station in the district, around 12:30 am on Sunday.

Unknown attackers entered their premises and opened fire. Abu was shot in the head and died instantly, while his father, Maujasin, suffered a bullet injury to his arm, with the bullet lodging into the bone, police said.

Following the incident, Maujasin was rushed to the Araria Sadar Hospital, where he received initial treatment. He was then referred to Purnia Government Medical College Hospital. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was further referred to a higher medical centre. However, the family admitted him to a private hospital in Purnia, where he is currently under treatment.

Mahalgonj SHO Rajesh Kumar, with a police patrolling team, reached the spot and began investigating the incident.

Sadar Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rampukar Singh also visited both the crime scene and the hospital. He confirmed the incident and stated that a detailed investigation is underway.

'The cause of the attack is still unclear. Once the injured father regains stability and can provide a statement, we hope to get more clarity. Scientific and technical methods are being employed in the investigation, and we are confident the culprits will be nabbed soon,' said SDPO Singh.

Local residents expressed frustration over the delayed police response. They claimed that despite repeated calls to the police station for over an hour, no officer responded. Only after contacting a woman officer did they receive the contact number of a patrolling unit, which eventually led to police intervention.

Further investigations are on.

Earlier on July 4, businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead from point-blank range outside his home in Patna. Following the incident, the police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the murder case of businessman Gopal Khemka.

Superintendent of Police (SP), Patna, Diksha told ANI on Saturday, 'On the night of July 4, at around 11 pm, we received information that businessman Gopal Khemka has been shot dead in the south area of the Gandhi Maidan...' (ANI)