 Rai was murdered on 29 November 2005, while attending a family wedding in his native village.He had been made aware of a death threat by Special Task Force officers, who warned him of hired killers at the residence of Mukhtar Ansari and Ramshrey Giri (Junior Engineer) a local politician and former gangster.He was coaxed to start a cricket match in Siyari and was persuaded not to use his bullet-proof vehicle or guards.