DEHRADUN: A gangster with over 50 criminal cases was shot dead by three assailants at Silver City Mall on Rajpur Road on Friday morning.The deceased has been identified as Vikram Sharma, a native of Uttarakhand’s Bazpur, Udham Singh Nagar district, who had criminal links in Jharkhand. He ran a stone crusher plant in Uttarakhand’s Kashipur and was reportedly involved in multiple criminal activities in Jharkhand.Sharma was returning from the gym when the attack took place, and the assailants fled the scene, police said.The incident took place between 10.00am and 10.15am.Police officers, including forensic experts, reached the crime scene and began collecting evidence.According to Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh, police suspect that the murder is linked to a gang war.“As per the eyewitness, two of the assailants were inside the shopping complex and waiting for him. As soon as he came out of the gym and stepped on the foot escalator, they opened fire at him. Around three shots were fired, killing him at the spot. The two then fled on a motorbike on which the third assailant was waiting,” SSP Ajai Singh.He further added that Sharma was out on bail and was living in a rented flat in Dehradun was carrying a licensed pistol with him.“His family in Jharkhand refused any sort of threats faced by him. Police suspect that he was killed in a previous dispute, considering his extensive criminal history. A joint team of Dehradun police and STF has been formed to probe the case in coordination with Jharkhand police,” said Singh.