Patna, Dec 7 (IANS): A lawyer was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Bihar's Gopalganj district on Tuesday, police said.

The deceased was identified as Rajesh Pandey, a native of Kuchaikot village. He was on the way to the district court in Gopalganj on motorcycle when he was attacked by three assailants at Pokhar Bhinda village, on the Lucknow-Silliguri national highway.

Due to sudden firing, Pandey's motorcycle crashed with the divider and he fell down on road. The assailants then fired on him at very close range and managed to flee from the spot before villagers reached the spot.

Villagers took Pandey to Sadar hospital but he succumbed on the way.

"We have registered an FIR against three unidentified persons under relevant IPC sections of murder and efforts are on to identify them. We have the registration number of bike. The motive of murder is not ascertain yet," investigating officer K.M. Jha, a sub-inspector of Kuchaikot police station, said.

Following the incident, lawyers of the district court suspended work for the day and demanded immediate arrest of the guilty.