PRAYAGRAJ, June 12 -- A 24-year-old son of a former village head, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in broad daylight in Goti village under the Industrial Area police station limits of Prayagraj on Thursday, said police. The deceased, identified as Kush Singh, was the younger son of former village head Vinod Singh, police said. According to police and eyewitnesses, Kush was sitting in an orchard behind his house at around 11 am when three armed men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire on him. He sustained multiple gunshot injuries and collapsed on the spot. The assailants fled immediately after carrying out the attack. Hearing the gunshots, family members and villagers rushed to the scene and took the injured youth to Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, where doctors declared him dead during treatment. Upon receiving information, personnel from the Industrial Area police station reached the spot, secured the crime scene and initiated an investigation. The body was sent for postmortem. ACP (Karachhana) Sunil Kumar Singh, along with other senior police officials, visited the scene and supervised the investigation. Police have also detained a youth for questioning in connection with the murder. "All possible angles, including a land dispute, are being thoroughly investigated. Evidence has been collected from the crime scene, and multiple police teams have been formed to identify and arrest the accused," ACP Sunil Kumar Singh said. Police said efforts were underway to trace the assailants, and further investigation into the case was in progress. PRAYAGRAJ An 18-year-old girl was killed after being run over by an overloaded dumper truck carrying gravel while cycling to her coaching class in Pratapgarh on Thursday morning, sparking outrage among local residents who blocked road in protest. The accident took place around 6 am near Kanupur crossing in the Jethwara police station area. The victim, identified as Ananya Yadav, daughter of Shivakant Yadav of Nagariya Kanupur village, was on her way to a coaching centre when the dumper allegedly swerved onto the wrong side of the road and hit her bicycle. She died on the spot due to severe injuries. According to eyewitnesses, the truck driver fled the scene after abandoning the vehicle. Following the incident, enraged residents damaged the dumper and staged a road blockade, alleging that overloaded dumpers and tractors frequently ply the route, posing a serious threat to commuters. Police personnel rushed to the spot and held talks with the protesters, eventually persuading them to lift the blockade. Traffic movement resumed after nearly one-and-a-half hours. The body was taken into custody and sent for post-mortem examination. Jethwara SHO Pankaj Kumar Rai said a case has been registered and efforts are underway to identify and arrest the absconding driver. Police have launched an investigation into the incident. htc...