Khunti village chief, 2 kin killed

Ranchi: Unidentified criminals murdered a village chief and his two family members in the extremist-hit Kodelebe village under Arki police station area of Khunti district, 80 km from here, on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.
Police said the deceased have been identified as Boyer Munda (55), his son Singa Munda (30), and daughter-in-law Sidima Devi (25). The bodies bore head injuries but the type of weapon used in the triple murder would be known after the post-mortem report is received, the police added.
The bodies were kept at the victims’ home till the police arrived on Friday.
A team led by Khunti deputy superintendent of police (DSP) visited the village located amidst forest and difficult terrain on Friday and found that all the male residents of the area had fled.
Unconfirmed reports state that during a ‘gram sabha’ held on Thursday, the relatives of deceased persons were threatened of dire consequences if they reported the matter to the police.
“None of the relatives told us about this,” the police said.
Khunti superintendent of police Aman Kumar said, “The fact that all men had abandoned the village indicates that many knew about the incident but were unwilling to talk. The identity of the criminals and the purpose behind the triple murder are yet to be ascertained.”
Police said an FIR was registered under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC.