Raids at Beur Jail Under Extreme Scrutiny, With Links Under Police Probe Into Patna Business Tycoon’s Murder

PATNA, Bihar, India—July 6, 2025: Beur Central Jail in Patna has been put under the scanner by Bihar Police for the brutal murder of one of the city’s businessmen, Gopal Khemka, late Friday night. Investigators are tracing out possible links between Khemka’s murder and criminals who are presently lodged in this high-security prison, prompting a high-intensity raid on Saturday afternoon on the jail premises. This, in turn, sent huge shockwaves through the capital of the state of Bihar and most probably raised serious issues about organized crime activity behind bars.

Murder of Magnate Triggers Investigation 

Around 11:45 PM on July 4, 2025, Gopal Khemka, 65, an emerging industrialist specializing in cotton, packaging, fuel retail, healthcare, and real estate, was shot dead at the main gate of his apartment complex at Ramgulam Chowk under the Gandhi Maidan police station area. Khemka was returning from the Bankipore Club when a bike-borne assailant shot him at close range in the head before he entered the complex. He succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a private hospital, bearing an eerily similar resemblance to the murder in 2018 of his son, Gunjan Khemka, raising suspicions of a deeper conspiracy involving organized crime in this case.

Unprecedented Jail Raid Uncovers Clue 

On Saturday, the first intelligence inputs led to the conducting of a coordinated raid inside Beur Central Jail between 3.05 PM and 4.35 PM. The joint operation was done involving police personnel from 14 police stations, senior officers like the SDPOs, SP, and SSP, and was headed by IG (Central Range) Jitendra Rana and Patna SSP Kartikeya K Sharma. During the raid, police recovered three mobile phones, SIM cards, a data cable, several phone numbers scribbled on paper, and other objectionable items, which investigators believe could provide crucial clues. Approximately 100 inmates were interrogated during the operation.

Suspected Organized Crime Involvement

“In gigantic happenings mostly, organized criminals are involved, and many times it does involve them from inside jail as well. Keeping this in mind, a raid was initiated at Beur Jail after receiving certain inputs,” said IG Jitendra Rana. According to SSP Kartikeya Sharma, “important clues” were discovered during the raid and are being carefully considered by the police to crack the case soon. It is believed that the murder conspiracy was hatched inside the jail. 

Special Investigation Team Formed. 

This has seen the establishment of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that will speed up the process of the investigation and is being headed by City SP (Central) Diksha. There are multiple leads that the SIT is now following, including the extraction of the CCTV footage at the crime scene, which is said to show the attackers closing in on Khemka’s vehicle just before the shooting. The Khemka family is a well-established name within Patna’s business community, and through Gaurav Khemka, younger son of Gopal Khemka, a complaint has been filed, but as of yet, no individuals are mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR). 

Wider political response and concerns 

This high-profile murder has raised the stakes concerning law and order in Bihar, drawing the sharpest condemnation from political leaders. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar presided over a high-level review meeting on law and order and gave instructions for stern action against criminals. Both Deputy Chief Ministers, Vijay Kumar Sinha and Samrat Choudhary, have also admitted to lapses and have assured justice would be swift. This case again raised challenges posed by illegal activities and communication channels within prisons, which remain a chronic problem in Bihar.

Reported by: Herohind News Desk