Jharkhand: Drunken revelry common factor in murder spree, says Cops

RANCHI: A recent spate of brutal killings in the state on flimsy ground has one thing in common: gruesome murders after a night of drunken revelry.
Case 1: The killing of an elderly couple in Gumla on Monday.
Richard Minz, 60, and his wife Milianyi Minz, 56, were killed in their sleep by their domestic help, identified as Satyendra Lakra in Jamtoli village under Raidih police station area of Gumla district. Lakra, who had worked at the Minz house for several years, had consumed alcohol that day with the Richard. He said Richard’s son Gulshan had once threatened to harm him. Asked why he killed the couple, he simply said, “I do not know.” He was not remorseful but had no explanation for what he did.
Case 2: A man identified by Shravan Mahili set ablaze his neighbour Raju Mahli for not giving him shelter from the rain on September 3. Both were residents of Dhurwa police station area of Ranchi district. Shravan consumed alcohol and doused Raju with petrol in his sleep and set him ablaze. The victim fortunately woke up and put out the fire but not before suffering burn injuries. All Raju could remember as the bone of contention was that he had refused Shravan entry into his house during rain as both of them were drunk.
Case 3: The murder of Bitna Munda (65), his son Suda Munda (25) and a distant relative Vikas Mahto (22) in Chandidih village under Khunti police station on August 21.
The murderer, Hemant Purty, had come to stay as a guest in Bitna’s house. During the day, he worked with the family on the field and had dinner and drank together at night. He, however, woke up in the middle of the night and hacked all three to death. Later, Purty told police that he was angry over Bitna’s refusal to pay Rs 3,000 which Bitna owed him.
The police said alcohol is one of the major reasons for these crimes, particularly in the rural areas. Khunti SP Aman Kumar said, “After getting intoxicated people harm others for flimsy reasons. We hold awareness programmes at the police stations to address these problems.”
Senior consultant neuro-psychiatrist at the Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences Sidharth Sinha said, “Alcohol not only causes elation but also removes inhibitions. As such, the suppressed thoughts, including anger, dominate the psyche of the intoxicated person who may indulge in violence. The impact of country liquor is more as it has high concentration of alcohol.”