An actress from Jharkhand was shot dead after she allegedly thwarted a highway robbery attempt in West Bengal's Howrah district on Wednesday, police said.

Riya Kumari along with her husband Prakash Kumar, a film producer, and their two-year-old daughter were heading to Kolkata via the National Highway 16 by car, they said.

Kumar stopped near Mahishrekha in Bagnan police station area around 6 am to relieve himself. Soon, a gang of three men attacked him, trying to rob his belongings. When the woman rushed to rescue the husband, they shot her and fled the spot immediately, police said.

Kumar took his wife to the vehicle and drove about 3 km in search of help. When he saw some people along the highway in Kulgachia-Pirtala, he narrated the incident to them.

The locals helped Kumar take his wife to the SCC Medical College and Hospital in Uluberia where doctors declared her brought dead, police said.

Police said they were investigating the incident and also questioning the husband.

"We have spoken to the husband, and since the daughter is too young we may talk to her later as we do not want to cause her more trouble. We will also speak to the locals whom the man approached for help," a police officer said.

Their car has been seized for forensic examination, he said.

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