The key suspect in the brazen murder at a Patna hospital has been taken into custody. Tauseef, the 26-year-old prime suspect, was arrested on Sunday from a guesthouse in Kolkata’s Anandpur locality. He is accused of killing 36-year-old Chandan Mishra, a man with a long criminal history, reportedly over a gang feud.
Investigators believe Tauseef fled to West Bengal after the shooting and had been hiding out in the city. His arrest was carried out by the Kolkata Special Task Force. Sources said his brother, who is paralyzed, was also shot in the leg during the attack.
Tauseef will be produced before a court in Kolkata before being brought to Patna on transit remand. Police have also detained three more individuals in connection with the case.
Chandan Mishra, the victim, was facing multiple murder charges and had been out on parole for medical treatment at the hospital when he was gunned down.
“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,” a police officer stated, The Indian Express reported.
Footage reviewed by investigators appears to show Tauseef arriving at the hospital entrance at 7:13 am, accompanied by a helmeted man carrying a backpack. They were soon joined by four more men in caps. After a brief huddle, Tauseef led them inside.
“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,” The Indian Express quoted a senior officer.
Initial leads point to Sheru Singh, a former friend-turned-foe Chandan, as the one who planned the hit.
“Chandan and Sheru were once friends, but the two fell out while they were at Bhagalpur Jail,” another officer revealed.
Mishra operated largely in Buxar, while Sheru’s turf was in Ara. Both were allegedly involved in a string of murders in 2011, including the high-profile killing of businessman Rajendra Keshri. Mishra had initially been sentenced to death in that case, but the Patna High Court later commuted it to life imprisonment in 2020.
Sheru, who had once escaped from custody but was later re-arrested near the Indo-Nepal border, is now being held in West Bengal’s Purulia District Jail for an unrelated matter. He has also been linked to a recent jewellery heist in Ara.
“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 added.
The shooting has raised serious concerns about hospital security. Police are now looking into whether the attackers received help from within the facility.
Tauseef, a resident of Patna’s Phulwari Sharif area, comes from an unassuming background — his mother is a schoolteacher, and his father runs a small hardware shop. Yet online, he cultivated a very different image. In videos uploaded to YouTube, he styled himself as the ‘King of Patna’, complete with flashy visuals and over-the-top dialogues reminiscent of gangster films. He is also believed to have been involved in narcotics, illegal arms, and contract killings.
