KANPUR: In a case of gang rivalry, three armed assailants shot dead listed history-sheeter and a member of the D-2 gang, Saeed Nata, in broad daylight at his residence in Chotey Miyan Ka Hata locality under the Colonelganj police station here on Tuesday.

Superintendent of police (City) Kush Har Saurabh, said: “Saeed died on the spot as he received serious bullet injuries in head and other body parts. Saeed was an accused in at least 15 cases of murder, loot and extortion. The body has been sent for autopsy.”

Police said the family members of Saeed have alleged that the murder was a handiwork of a local bootlegger, Rafeeq Mota, and his two associates Munna and Afzal, probably belonging to same area.

“One among the three accused entered the sewing and tailoring shop of Saeed’s father — M S Enterprises — situated at Chotey Miyan Ka Hata locality in Colonelganj area where Saeed was sitting. He called Saeed out of the shop on the pretext of discussing some important issue. When he came out, Rafeeq Mota and another person, who were waiting for him, had a brief chat with him. Following this, Rafeeq Mota and his aides whipped out country-made firearms and shot Saeed at point-blank range,” a Colonelganj police officer told TOI.

The police said after pumping several bullets into Saeed’s body, the assailants escaped unchallenged into the by-lanes of the locality. The police have recovered four empty cartridges from the spot and sent them for forensic examination.

A named FIR has been registered against Rafeeq Mota, Munna and Afzal and the police are investigating the killing.

The police said motive behind the murder was a running feud between the Saeed and Rafeeq. Killing of Saeed was fallout of a dispute as Rafeeq Mota suspected him to be a ‘police informer’ and wanted to silence him.

Rafeeq Mota, who was recently sent to jail by the police on charges of smuggling drugs, was released on bail last week.

Following the murder, panic prevailed in the locality as kin of the slain criminal created a ruckus demanding immediate arrest of the accused. Police and PAC were later deployed in large numbers in the area.

Saeed was also reportedly close to some local BSP leaders as prior to assembly elections, he was seen with them on some poll posters.

Police sources said Saeed was once known to be the right-hand man of notorious gangster Javed Ringwala, who was gunned down in 2006 reportedly by his rival Israil Aantewala. Ringwala had introduced Saeed Nata in the local underworld, but they later parted their ways and Nata became an arch-rival of slain criminal Javed Ringwala following rivalry over supremacy in illegal trade of narcotics.

This is the third incident in which a history-sheeter has been killed in the Industrial city in broad daylight. On November 30, 2011, history-sheeter Shanu Olanga was killed near Gora Kabristan in Civil Lines area. On January 4, another history-sheeter, Lal Babu, was shot dead in broad daylight near Rizvi Road under the jurisdiction of Beconganj police.