Chilli powder had been thrown in the faces of the police personnel who were protecting the gangster.
Dramatic visuals have emerged of multiple attackers taking turns to fire at a gangster and his accomplice in a crowded bus in Rajasthan after allegedly incapacitating six police personnel who were accompanying them to a court hearing.
Footage of the daring murder shows the eight assailants spending nearly two minutes in the bus and stepping out several times to reload their weapons, even as terrified passengers exit the vehicle by climbing out of the windows.
The murder took place on July 12, when gangster Kuldeep Jagheena and his accomplice Vijaypal were being taken for a hearing at a court in Bharatpur from the Jaipur Central Jail. The men, both accused of murder, were travelling in a Rajasthan Roadways bus and were accompanied by six police personnel.
The CCTV footage, which has emerged today, shows the bus standing at Amoli toll plaza in Bharatpur when it is approached by three men, one of whom is flaunting a gun. They are seen waiting for a few seconds near the door of the bus, until a shot is fired, sending a few passengers scurrying to safety.
Two of the men then approach the door of the bus and begin firing as a third peers in through the windows, presumably looking for the targets. One of the men enters the bus and opens fire, before calmly exiting and then pushing three other shooters inside.
Some other passengers exit the bus through the door and some clamber out of the windows. More shooters approach the bus and the men then take turns exiting the vehicle to reload after running out of bullets, before going in and opening fire again.
This goes on for nearly two minutes, until one of the shooters is seen standing near one of the windows and firing from outside. His accomplices then exit the bus and the shooters calmly walk away.
Gangster Kuldeep Jagheena was declared brought dead at a hospital and his accomplice was greviously injured. Three passengers in the bus also suffered minor injuries.
Kuldeep and Vijaypal were accused of killing one Kripal Jagheena in Bharatpur in September last year following a land dispute.
Police said six of the eight assailants have been arrested and that the personnel who were accompanying the gangster could not open fire inside the bus because the attackers had thrown chilli powder in their faces. The personnel gave chase and fired at the vehicles of the attackers as they were escaping.
Bharatpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Mridul Kachawa said, "Chilli powder was thrown into the faces of the police personnel who were accompanying the two men, Vijaypal is out of danger. None of the police personnel were injured."
Kuldeep's family members protested outside the SP's office and met him to demand the arrest of the remaining accused. They have also said that Kuldeep's father, Kumarjit - who is also lodged in Jaipur Central Jail - and Vijaypal should be shifted to a jail in Bharatpur.
Kuldeep's sister said, "They shot and killed my brother. Other innocent passengers in the bus could also have been killed. The accused should be charged with sections related to terrorism."