Son-in-law mastermind in lawyer's daylight murder

By Sagaya Fernando | July 16, 2025

Patna, Bihar, INDIA:  In a chilling case that has gripped eastern India, police in the city of Patna have arrested eight individuals in the fatal shooting of criminal defense lawyer Jitendra Kumar Mehta — a killing that investigators say was orchestrated by the victim’s own son-in-law.

The murder, carried out in broad daylight as Mehta returned from a neighbourhood tea stall on Sunday July 14, shocked the local legal community and prompted an urgent manhunt. Within 48 hours, authorities announced the case had been cracked.

The alleged mastermind has been identified as Mohammad Shoaib, also known as Sonu, the husband of Mehta’s elder daughter. According to investigators, Shoaib conspired with at least two accomplices and hired contract killers to execute the murder.

“Eight arrests have been made in connection with the case, and we have recovered firearms, ammunition, and the stolen motorcycle used during the crime,” said Patna’s Senior Superintendent of Police Kartik K Sharma, during a press briefing on Tuesday July 15.

Shoaib, an air-conditioning technician by trade, reportedly married Mehta’s daughter in a court ceremony in 2022, despite already being married with children, police say. The revelation of his first marriage came later, after the couple had begun living together.

The marriage was strongly opposed by Mehta, who reportedly confronted his son-in-law just days before the attack. That argument, police believe, was the final trigger for the murder plot.

According to Sharma, Shoaib enlisted the help of two associates, Akash, known locally as Kanu, and Mohammad Ali. The three then hired gunmen Aditya Kumar and Niranjan Kumar, offering payment to carry out the hit.

On the day of the murder, Aditya allegedly fired three shots at Mehta while Niranjan waited nearby on a motorcycle for their escape. Mehta succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a local hospital.

The lawyer’s daughter, a B.Ed. student in Hajipur, is not currently believed to have been involved in the murder, though investigations remain ongoing. She had returned to her parental home following the family dispute but had expressed a desire to resume her life with Shoaib.

The murder has sparked conversations about honour, family disputes, and the fragile balance between love marriages and traditional values — themes that resonate globally but hold particular social weight in South Asia.

Though India is no stranger to family-based violence, the speed with which this case was resolved and the disturbing domestic link to the crime have attracted widespread attention.

As authorities continue to interrogate the suspects, the case stands as a stark reminder of how personal betrayals and fractured family dynamics can turn fatally violent — even in a city courtroom veteran’s own home.