india

Updated: Apr 16, 2019 18:28 IST

A national-level rugby player, Jackie alias Jay Kumar Singh, 18, was shot dead barely few yards away from the Barh police station area in rural Patna by two armed assailants Tuesday morning.

The incident occurred when a group of youths, most of them rugby players, were rehearsing for a film shoot based on Nalanda’s self trained Rugby player Sweta Sahi slated to begin from early next month.

Shweta is the only girl from Bihar selected for the national rugby camp in 2013. She has represented India in multiple global competitions and has three international championships under her belt.

Sanjeet Kumar, SHO of Barh police station said, Jackie was walking home after completing the shooting rehearsal and rugby practice at a ground located on the Church Road when two assailants intercepted him near the ground and shot him in his chest from point blank range. He was taken to Barh sub-divisional hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

The killers were seen fleeing from the crime scene immediately. After receiving information, the police and forensic team reached the spot and began investigations, but by then, the killers had escaped.

Eyewitnesses said that the killers had conducted a recce before carrying out the crime. To avoid flaring tension post sensational murders, the local administration has deployed police in the village. Police are scanning Jackie’s cell phone call details.

The victim’s family said that the player did not have personal enmity with anyone. The Barh police have registered a case and launched a manhunt for the culprits.

“We have registered a case, but no one has been named in the FIR. We are trying to identify the culprits with the help of scientific investigation. He was in open ground when the attack took place. It seems like the culprits do not belong to the Jackie’s village,” said SHO of Barh police station Sanjit Kumar.

Garima Mallick, Patna’s senior SP said, “The family still hasn’t come up with any suspect’s name, but we are pinned our probe on two different points-his father’s land disputes and a love angle if any.”

In Jackie’s murder, Bihar has lost a second promising rugby player in last three years. Earlier, on June 19, 2016, 17-year-old, Vishwanath Sharan, had died during a match of the Bihar state junior rugby football championships at Ghosi in Bihar’s Jehanabad district. He died of head injury he had sustained while tackling a player from the rival team during the match. Sharan had represented Bihar in several national championships.