Patna (Bihar) [India], July 8 (ANI): One of the accused in the businessman Gopal Khemka murder case was killed in a police encounter on Tuesday morning near Damaiya ghat in Patna, Bihar, police said.

The accused, identified as Vikas alias Raj, was said to be the arms supplier to the main accused, Patna SSP confirmed to ANI.

According to the police, Vilkas was killed about 2:45 am in a police encounter near Damaiya ghat in the limits of Malslami police station. The police have also recovered one pistol and a cartridge from the site. The body of the accused has been sent to Nalanda Medical College for post-mortem.

Meanwhile, the key accused has also been arrested by the Police.

Businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead near the main gate of his residence in Patna's Gandhi Maidan area on July 4. He had requested police protection for his family.

Speaking with ANI, JD(U) leader Rajeev Ranjan also confirmed the same.

'As per the information we have received, the Police have killed an accused in the Khemka murder case who tried to attack the police. Nitish Kumar ji is monitoring every incident,' Rajeev Ranjan said.

Earlier, Gaurav Khemka, son of businessman Gopal Khemka, in his statement recorded in the FIR on Saturday, Gaurav mentioned that his brother, Gunjan Khemka, was also murdered in 2018. 'After this incident, my family and I are frightened. We request that the government and police provide us with security and ensure the safety of our family. Also, the perpetrators should be arrested and punished,' he wrote.

Gaurav narrated the incident in his statement, saying that around 8:30 PM, his father had gone to the Bankipore Club. When he returned home at 11:20 PM, assailants who were already waiting at the gate shot him in the head.

He added that after hearing the gunshot and being alerted by the building guard, he and his wife rushed to the gate. There, they found Gopal Khemka lying in a pool of blood. Gaurav said they rushed him to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The Bihar Police had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the murder case of businessman Gopal Khemka. (ANI)