Bhubaneswar: A laboratory attendant of AIIMS Bhubaneswar was shot dead by unidentified persons in the city on Monday when he was on his way to the hospital, police said. The deceased has been identified as Sudhanshu Khuntia. He was working as a lab attendant in AIIMS through outsourcing, an official said.

According to the police, Khuntia was going to AIIMS Bhubaneswar on his motorcycle. At around 8 am, some miscreants chased him and opened fire on him near Ransinghpur. Locals shifted him to the AIIMS, where doctors declared him dead.

Getting information, a team from Khandagiri police station rushed to the spot and started an investigation. The police suspect that Khuntia was killed over some past rivalry.

Khuntia’s family have registered a complaint against his uncle’s family, and the latter’s family members were also injured during a clash between the two families, said Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh. “Our team is investigating the case, and very soon the accused will be arrested,” he said.

Meanwhile, the body of a labourer was found lying near a construction site under the Chandrasekharpur police station area, he said. “The investigation is going on. If it is found to be a homicide case, action will be taken accordingly,” Singh said.