A Gopalganj-based medical practitioner is contemplating a shift outside Bihar following threats to him and his family members, allegedly from a real estate mafia, after the daylight murder of his father-in-law last month.

Ashish Ranjan (48) said his family was having sleepless nights following constant threat to their lives. "They killed my father-in-law after threatening him on August 30 and now they are planning to eliminate me and my family," he told The Telegraph.

Visibly upset over the happenings of the past month, Ashish said he had returned from abroad about six years ago and started practising medicine at Gopalganj, around 165km north of Patna. "But all my dreams to serve the state have been shattered now," he lamented.

Ashish's father-in-law Tripurari Sharan Sharma (84), a practicing lawyer of Goplaganj, was shot dead by two armed youths at his house near the Gopalganj superintendent of police's official residence on August 30. "The whole incident has been captured on CCTV," he said.

The assailants, pretending to be clients, called Sharma outside and pumped bullets from point-blank range. Sharma, who had played a crucial role in getting several accused convicted as public prosecutor, was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries after one-and-a half hours. "He (Sharma) revealed the names of the conspirators and the shooters to the police in his dying declaration. In spite of this, police focused on involvement of suspects like Satish Pandey, who is serving sentence in Motihari central jail," Ashish said.

"The police inaction can be gauged from the fact that they did not bother to collect the CCTV footage from Ashish's clinic, which captured the pictures of the shooters, even after a week of the incident. Instead, they (cops) floated a concocted story to shield the prime accused," Ashish alleged.

A named FIR was lodged with the Gopalganj Town police station against Jitendra Singh, his son Golden Kumar and daughter Ruby Kumari, who had allegedly threatened Sharma with dire consequences following a dispute over a plot of land beside the national highway. Sharma purchased the plot in 2002, Ashish said.

Ashish also expressed his displeasure over apathetic attitude of the top police officers. "My father-in-law had sent petitions to the director-general of police and the superintendent of police of Gopalganj seeking police protection almost a week before his killing. But no help came and finally he was murdered."

Gopalganj superintendent of police Natasha Gudia said the identity of the two shooters had been ascertained. "The named accused, Jitendra, had already been arrested.

The sources said the shooters have been identified as Jai Prakash Singh and Dhodha Mian, stated to be residents of Devapur and Majha villages in Gopalganj district.