Dehradun (PTI): A businessman was allegedly shot dead by unknown assailants near Silver City Cinema in Dehradun city early Friday morning, police said.

This is the second murder in the city in the last 48 hours and the third in 11 days.

Dehradun Superintendent of Police (City) Pramod Kumar informed that the incident occurred around 1.15 am when Vikram Sharma (50) was coming out of the gym.

He added that Sharma owned a stone crusher in Udham Singh Nagar district.

The string of three murders in Dehradun over the past two weeks has created an atmosphere of fear and unease among residents.

On Wednesday, a gas agency owner was shot dead in broad daylight outside the Tibetan Market, located in the city centre. Additionally, on February 2, a 22-year-old woman was murdered, her throat slit with a sharp weapon, police said.

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Mangaluru: Police have flagged a fake marathon campaign being widely circulated on Instagram under the name “Sea Breeze Marathon” and warned the public against falling prey to a suspected cyber fraud network.

The purported post, which began circulating on April 3, claims to offer prize money of Rs 2.51 lakh for a 5 km race, Rs 3.5 lakh for a 10 km race, and Rs 5 lakh for a 21 km race. It also urges participants to register in advance. However, officials have clarified that no such marathon has been organised in Mangaluru.

The poster also promises to provide participants with free sports shoes, goodies bags and refreshments, in order to lure people.

Police suspect that the poster is part of a cyber fraud attempt designed to lure users into registering through fraudulent links.

Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy cautioned that registering through such links could lead to mobile phone hacking and financial loss.

The campaign is also being amplified through a viral video featuring songs from popular movies, along with visuals of people participating in marathons, allegedly sourced from existing footage, giving the content a sense of authenticity and misleading people.

When Vartha Bharati conducted a reverse image search, the video was traced back to marathons held in Mumbai, further confirming that the circulating content is not related to any event in Mangaluru.

Speaking to Vartha Bharati, Commissioner Reddy confirmed that the campaign is fake and that no organisation has approached authorities seeking permission for conducting a marathon, including traffic or road clearances.

“So far, no complaint has been lodged, and no victim of the campaign has been reported,” he said.