Patna shocker: Woman hospital director shot dead inside hospital premises

Patna: In a shocking incident, a 35-year-old woman, who was the co-owner of Asia Hospital in Patna’s Agamkuan area, was shot dead by a group of five to six unidentified assailants on Saturday. The attackers, posing as patients, entered her chamber at the hospital and fired indiscriminately at her before fleeing the scene. She was rushed to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Patna but succumbed to her injuries.  

According to the police, she was found lying in a pool of blood with multiple bullet wounds. During the investigation, officers recovered six bullet casings from the crime scene and confirmed that the director sustained at least four bullet injuries. 

The victim, Surabhi Raj, was the director of the hospital located in the Agamkuan area, according to Atulesh Jha, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Patna City-1. He clarified that she was not a doctor, reports PTI. 

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As per the latest media report by the Indian Express, the police have yet to identify the assailants, and the reason behind the director's murder remains unknown. The motive for the crime is still unclear. Meanwhile, Jagran reported that at present, the police are investigating three points, which include mutual enmity, extortion and land dispute. If sources are to be believed, recently Rakesh, her husband and Surabhi had expanded the hospital. They had also taken a plot behind the hospital.

In such a situation, the investigation is being done on the points of land dispute and extortion. At the same time, intensive interrogation of hospital staff and family members is going on to find out about mutual enmity. Police have sealed the incident spot.

The incident occurred on Saturday while a training session was held for trainees here at the hospital. The session, conducted by two doctors from another hospital, took place between 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm. Following the session, the trainers left, while the trainees remained inside.

"When the session was over, we were asked not to leave. The trainers, however, left. We were giggling and having fun when we got conscious of the noise and went to check if anyone was sitting in the next room. We found ma'am (Surabhi) lying in a pool of blood," one of the trainees told NDTV.

The trainees told the police during interrogation that the attack went unnoticed, as no one heard the sound of gunshots, indicating that the assailants may have used a silencer piston to kill the doctor to avoid getting caught. 

Indian Express reported that the accused posing as patients entered the hospital premises and barged into the director's office. Suddenly, they opened fire, hitting her multiple times before fleeing the scene on motorcycles. 

Confirming the incident, Atulesh Jha, Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Patna City-1 told PTI, “The Agamkuan police station received a call that a woman was shot inside the hospital at around 3.30 pm. When the police team reached the spot, she was found in a pool of blood with multiple bullet injuries. She was immediately admitted to the ICU of the hospital. Later, she was shifted to Patna AIIMS where she died in the evening."

A forensic team and a dog squad were brought in to collect evidence, while CCTV footage was being reviewed to identify the attackers. The body has been sent for post-mortem, and the police have launched an extensive investigation, exploring all possible angles after registering a case in this regard. 

"We are examining CCTV footage and scientific evidence from the spot. The motive behind the attack will be determined after further investigation," said a police official.

Meanwhile, her murder has sparked outrage from the medical fraternity as the Indian Medical Association and some other organisations of the doctors have demanded high-level inquiry and immediate arrest of the culprits.

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