Gumla: Qurban Ansari (25), a native of Rampur village under sadar police station of Lohardaga district, was beaten and strangled over his love affair by four brothers at the village at about 10 am on Sunday.
A police team was camping at Rampur village at the time of filing this report in the evening to prevent any flare-up in the area. Police said Ansari and his girlfriend belonged to the same religious community.
Locals told the police that the assailants were enraged after learning about Ansari’s affair with their sister. The girl had reportedly posted a photograph along with Ansari on Facebook recently.
Talking to TOI from the village, Lohardaga SDPO Jitendra Singh said, "Prima facie it appears that Ansari was thrashed and even strangled near a village drain as the corpse was smeared in mud."
Singh said Ansari and his assailants are from the same village. “The brothers came across Ansari’s photograph with their sister in her mobile phone. Enraged, they came after Ansari and thrashed him brutally,” Singh added.
In retaliation to the killing, a mob set ablaze the motorcycle of the assailants and even tried to torch their home. “The accused are absconding and efforts are underway to arrest them,” Singh said. Police refrained from divulging the identities of Ansari’s assailants.
Lohardaga police station officer-in-charge Mantu Kumar said an FIR was yet to be filed as Ansari's relatives are yet to file a formal complaint. Lohardaga DC Dilip Kumar Toppo said the situation has returned to normal in the village.