Travel firm manager shot at by unidentified person in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: A travel firm manager was shot at and injured here on Thursday by an unidentified man suspected to be part of a gang allegedly involved in the killing of a security guard in neighbouring Karnataka, police said.

The incident occurred when two persons, after booking tickets at the travel agency, were in a shuttle mini-bus to board the main bus to Raipur, but fled after firing at the manager, who became suspicious of their movement.

When the manager asked the two passengers to show the contents of the bags for examination one of them shot at him, police said.

A senior police official said the two passengers are the armed robbers allegedly involved in a murder in Bidar district in Karnataka.

However, it is under investigation.

Incidentally, two police constables of Karnataka were in the same mini-bus and also on their way to Raipur. But they apparently did not know about these two passengers, the official said based on preliminary investigation.

According to a relative of the owner of the travel agency, two people came to book bus tickets at his brother's Travels office located in the Afzalgunj area here at 3 pm today to go to Raipur.

The ticket manager booked the tickets and the passengers were in the shuttle min-bus (to catch the main bus bound for Raipur), he said.

If anything suspicious is found then passenger's luggage checking is done by the travel office staff, he said.

When the manager asked him (one of the passengers) to show his bag then he took out a cash bundle asking him to keep it with him, he claimed.

However, the manager refused to take the money and insisted that the two passengers get down from the shuttle mini-bus when one of them suddenly fired two rounds at him, he said.

The two passengers then fled towards a state-run Hospital, he said.

The manager has been injured and shifted to a private hospital, he said.

The manager checked the bag of the Karnataka policemen and it was then that the passenger (two passengers) grew suspicious and offered a cash bundle to avoid searching of their bags, he said.

A gang of armed robbers shot dead a security guard and injured another person before decamping with Rs 93 lakh cash meant for filling the SBI ATM in the district headquarters town of Bidar on Thursday, Karnataka police said.

The staff had come to the ATM located on the busy Shivaji Chowk to fill the cash at 11.30 am, they said.

Sources said the robbers fired eight rounds to execute their crime.

Soon after the incident, police rushed to the spot and barricaded all the roads nearby.

Police have formed teams to nab the culprits.

The incident happened at around 6.30 pm, police said.

The two unidentified persons booked tickets to travel by bus from Hyderabad to Raipur, police said.

One of them suddenly fired on the manager and the duo fled away with bags, the police official said adding teams have been formed to nab them.

The manager suffered minor injury and he is undergoing treatment at a hospital and his condition is stable, police said.