A man who was questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as part of its probe into a communal flare-up in Howrah in 2023 was gunned down near his house in Shibpur on Wednesday night.

Abdul Qadir, also known as Prem, died at SSKM Hospital early on Thursday.

Eyewitnesses said Qadir was seated outside a garments shop near PM Bustee on GT Road, not very far from Nabanna, when he was shot.

Around 11pm, bike-borne assassins fired at him at close range and fled, witnesses told the police.

"Qadir was trying to turn a new leaf, leaving behind his criminal past, and was developing properties in and around Shibpur. But his rivals wouldn't allow him to do that and killed him," said Qadir's wife, Zeenat Parveen.

"Saddam and his gang murdered him. My husband told them multiple times that he had moved on and did not want to return to the world of crime. But there was no respite," she said.

The police said Qadir had a criminal past and several criminal cases were still pending against him at police stations across Howrah.

"Some of those who have been accused of murdering Qadir were his jail mates once," a senior officer of the Howrah Police Commissionerate said.

"The NIA had questioned him in connection with the 2023 violence," said the officer.

Arup Roy, a senior Trinamul leader from Howrah, said Qadir was a party supporter. "We hope the police get to the bottom of the case," Roy told reporters on Thursday.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the assassins wore helmets so they could not be identified easily.

A case of murder was drawn up at Shibpur police station following a complaint by Zeenat Parveen.

A man named Kustar Ansari, alias Bhutua, was arrested based on CCTV footage and circumstantial evidence.

A search is on for the other accused, the police said.