PATNA: Altogether nine people, including a former mukhiya, were killed in separate incidents in the state in the past 24 hours. Bhagalpur, Madhubani, Rohtas and Nawada districts accounted for two murders each while one person was killed in Begusarai district.
Reports reaching the police headquarters said a group of armed criminals shot dead one Rajesh Raman alias Pappu Bhagat, stated to be a former mukhiya of Khagaria’s Bandehra panchayat, at Bhikhanpur in Bhagalpur district on Friday evening.
The assailants fired at Bhagat, the husband of incumbent mukhiya Khushboo Kumari when he was walking towards his car parked at a stone’s throw from a meat shop where he had gone with two of his supporters and a relative. He had taken out his licensed pistol and tried to fire, but was hit with a bullet and died on the spot.
The deceased’s supporters managed to catch hold of one of the fleeing assailants and assaulted him leading to his death. He was later identified as Ratan Kumar Sah, a resident of Hardiya Jankinagar in Munger district.
Police said the former mukhiya had earlier survived a murderous attack last month. He had received bullet injuries in his armpit. Since then he has been staying in Bhagalpur. The slain former mukhiya’s brother-in-law Aditya was accompanying him at the time of the incident.
Bhagalpur ASP Puran Kumar Jha said, “The CCTV footage is being obtained to ascertain the identity of the other assailants, who fled the spot. An empty cartridge has been recovered from the spot.” The ASP didn’t rule out the involvement of hired goons in the killing of the ex-mukhiya.
In Rohtas, a 35-year-old Lallu Yadav shot dead his cousin Suman Yadav at Awadani Bigha village under Karakat police station on Thursday evening. Suman was attacked when he was returning home at Padasar village from the local market. Later, a mob lynched the assailant Lallu to death on the spot. The SHO of Karakat police station Satyendra Paswan said a dispute over payment of Rs 20,000 is stated to be the reason behind the incident.
In Madhubani, one Rajesh Kumar and his wife Renu Devi were killed by a group of people at Godown Tola near Mahua under Ladania police station late on Thursday night. The marauders attacked the couple when they were sleeping. Property dispute is stated to be the reason.
A report from Nawada said the bodies of Ashok Rajvanshi and Bachchu Rajvanshi were recovered from Benipur village under Rupau police station on Thursday evening. The victims’ throats were found slit. They were missing since Wednesday.
In Begusarai, one Natho Tanti was beaten to death by a group of people at Pannapur village under Matihani police station on Thursday night. The incident is stated to be a fallout of an altercation over the sale of country liquor by one Amresh Tanti at the village.