A 15-year-old schoolgirl was shot dead allegedly by her elder brother following an argument over her relationship with a boy in West Burdwan on Thursday.

Neighbours said they had heard two rounds of firing from the house and seen a youth with a revolver in hand coming out of the house hurriedly.

“We rushed to the house and found the girl lying in a pool of blood. No one else was there at that time. Her brother had fled by then,” said a neighbour.

Police arrived at the spot and launched a search for the accused.

Local people said the siblings had an altercation since morning over her relationship with a local boy.

“The brother was against the relationship and repeatedly prevented her sister from keeping in touch with the boyfriend. They used to get involved in frequent quarrels over the affair,” said a neighbour.

Another local resident said: “Their parents were not at home today. They have been informed about the incident.”

Firing at oil pump

Three men riding a two-wheeler fired two rounds to intimidate employees at a petrol station in Asansol’s Salanpur when they asked for money for refuelling.

Police said the shooters had fled to the Jharkhand border.

The police said the three youths, who communicated in Hindi, had arrived at the petrol pump around 4.30pm on Scooty and asked for fuel for Rs 55.

Employee Manju Rani filled the tank and when she asked for money, one of the youths pointed a revolver at her temple.

“I was too scared when one of the youths held a revolver at my head and asked me to escape. I ran away without taking money and dropped the nozzle on the ground,” she said.

Another employee of the petrol pump tried to call the police from his mobile phone when the criminals fired two rounds and fled. The employee lay down on the ground to avoid bullets. No one was hurt in the firing.

Later, the police arrived and started an investigation. A police officer said they had alerted all neighbouring police stations, including those in Jharkhand. They have collected CCTV footage from the petrol pump.

The police said the objective of the goons was not clear as they did not loot any cash from the petrol pump.