A bike-borne journalist was shot dead by a group of unidentified assailants on the Sitapur-Delhi National Highway under Imalia Sultanpur station limits on Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh Police said.
Raghvendra Bajpai (35), who was the regional reporter for a Hindi daily, was shot several times including in the chest, the police said. The attack occurred on the overbridge near the Hempur railway crossing and Bajpai died on the spot.
According to UP police, the assailants also arrived on motorbikes to attack Bajpai. They opened fire while the unsuspecting victim was riding his bike and fled immediately after hitting him multiple times.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sitapur, Praveen Ranjan Singh told news agency PTI that Raghvendra Bajpai was shot thrice in his chest and shoulder. Although he was quickly taken to the nearby hospital by locals and police, the doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
Bajpai's family told media outlets that he had received threatening phone calls in recent days.
"Evidence collection has commenced and the district borders have been sealed to apprehend the perpetrators. Call details and other legal proceedings are underway," ASP Singh told the press.
The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination and several teams have been formed to nab the killers at the earliest, he added.
