From correspondents in Maharashtra, India, 10:00 PM IST

Two people were killed and a third was seriously injured when four unidentified assailants shot at a businessman's family here Thursday evening.

According to a Nagpur police officer, the assailants came on two Hero Honda motorcycles and entered the Gayatri Apartments building in the Lakadganj area of the city around 5.45 p.m.

They rang the doorbell and barged into the flat of a timber merchant, Lakhotia, and started firing indiscriminately the moment the door was opened.

Two brothers, Suresh and Sushil Lakhotia, who sustained bullets shots died on the spot.

Their brother Shailesh, who was seriously injured, was admitted to a hospital and was undergoing surgery to remove the bullets from his body, the police said.

Though the motive behind the attack is not clear, business rivalry is suspected. Top officials including city police commissioner Satyapal Singh reached the scene of the crime and were investigating.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)