A 35-year-old land broker, who was shot thrice at Bada Ghaghra in Doranda on Friday evening, died at RIMS on Saturday, the third such incident in the capital this month.

Officer in-charge of Doranda police station Ramesh Kumar Singh said Arun Kispotta, who took three bullets in his chest and hand, was targeted barely 100 metres away from his home around 7.30 in the evening.

“Police came to know about the incident around 11.30pm after Kispotta’s family members rushed him to RIMS. Local residents are not ready to divulge any information. He was a land broker and was apparently killed over a land dispute. We have registered an FIR against unknown persons,” Singh told The Telegraph, adding that the deceased had no criminal background.

Hatia DSP Vinod Rabbani said Kispotta had a fight with some youths on Friday over a plot of land. “We are trying to identify the persons with whom he had an altercation. We are questioning Kispotta’s two wives,” the DSP said.

However, sources in the police department said the identity of the youths who had sparred with Kispotta had been established and two persons detained.

Sources said Kispotta was negotiating with a number of buyers about a prime land at Bada Ghaghra. Other land brokers had objected to it.

SP Sujata Kumari Veenapani said the murder had no direct connection to the land row. “The deceased had a financial dispute with some persons. Raids are being conducted and necessary action will be taken.”

This is the third shoot-out involving land brokers in the capital this month.

On December 2, Sami Munda was shot dead in Pandra police outpost area followed by the murder of one Dilip Poddar in Dhurwa.

Police was quick to solve Poddar’s murder by arresting mastermind Augustus Kacchap along with his associates Karan Mahli and Suraj Singh.

However, a breakthrough is still awaited the Munda murder case. “Two unidentified persons persons shot Munda outside his house. Investigation is still underway,” Pandra OC Anup Bhengra said.

Following the twin murders, SSP Anish Gupta had directed all police stations to keep a tab on criminal elements involved in real estate business. He had also ordered the monitoring of land disputes in the capital.