In the CCTV videos from the Patna hospital murder from earlier this week, what stood out was the demeanour of the prime suspect, Tauseef. In one video, Tauseef ‘Badshah’, accompanied by four more armed men, is seen calmly striding into a hospital room as he pulls out a gun from his waistband. Minutes later, while the other men flee, he’s seen walking out just as unhurriedly.
On Sunday, 26-year-old Tauseef was arrested from a Kolkata guesthouse for allegedly killing 36-year-old Chandan Mishra, who had several criminal charges against him, over a gang rivalry.
According to sources, Tauseef had allegedly fled to West Bengal after the incident and had found lodgings in the city’s Anandpur area, from where the Kolkata Special Task Force arrested him. His brother, who had paralysis, was also shot in the leg, sources said.
Tauseef will be produced in a Kolkata court and will eventually be brought to Patna on transit remand. Meanwhile, three more suspects have been detained.
According to the police, the victim, Mishra, had been facing several murder cases and was undergoing treatment at the hospital. At the time of the murder, he was out on parole.
“Preliminary interrogation has revealed that the conspiracy to carry out the murder was hatched at the residence of one of the arrested suspects, Nishu Khan. The crime was primarily executed by Tauseef. Interrogation of other suspects is ongoing,” one officer said.
According to sources, a second surveillance video minutes before the attack purportedly shows Tauseef arriving outside the hospital at 7:13 am, accompanied by a helmeted man with a backpack. Soon after, four other people, all wearing caps, join him, and the men huddle briefly before Tauseef leads them all inside.
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“At least six men are suspected to have been directly involved in the operation. Five of them, including Tauseef, all carrying firearms, entered the hospital at around 7:20 am and fatally shot Chandan,” a senior police officer said.
Preliminary investigations appear to suggest the attack was orchestrated by Sheru Singh, a former friend-turned-foe, sources said.
“Chandan and Sheru were once friends, but the two fell out while they were at Bhagalpur Jail,” the second officer said.
While Mishra allegedly operated in Buxar, Sheru is believed to have kept his operations to Ara. According to sources, the two have allegedly been linked to eight murders in 2011 – including the high-profile killing of businessman Rajendra Keshri. While Chandan was initially given a death penalty in the case, the Patna High Court commuted it to a life term in February 2020.
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“After his arrest, Sheru had even broken out of jail but was eventually tracked down and re-arrested near the Indo-Nepal border,” the officer said. “After the two eventually fell out, it escalated into a turf war.”
Sheru, who is allegedly also linked to a heist at Tanishq jewellery store in Ara earlier this year, is currently lodged in West Bengal’s Purulia District Jail in connection with another case.
“Chandan had been released on parole two days prior to the incident. He was expected to return to Beur Central Jail the very next day he was shot dead,” the officer said.
Following the incident, security arrangements at the private hospital have also come under scrutiny, with the Patna Police suspecting inside help.
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A resident of the Phulwari Sharif in Patna, Tauseef’s mother is a schoolteacher and his father runs a small hardware store, sources said. In his videos on YouTube, Tauseef appears to project himself as a gangster figure, even referring to himself as the ‘King of Patna’. Flashy with dramatic dialogues, the videos appear to mimic gangster movies.
Once allegedly involved with drug dealing, Tauseef is believed to be linked to arms cases and contract killings.
