Triple murder: Couple, youth killed in Barh village clash

Patna: Triple murder rocked the state capital late on Monday night. A couple was stabbed to death while attempting to save a youth, who was fatally attacked by a group of youngsters in Thamba village under the Athmalgola police station area in Barh sub-division, adjacent to Patna.
The incident occurred while Manish Kumar (25) and his wife Kanchan Kumari (23), residents of Thamba village, were returning home on their motorcycle with their two-and-a-half-year-old son from his in-laws' place. In the attack, both of them died, while the child was unharmed. The youth, Sujeet Kumar, a resident of Phulelpur village, who sustained injuries also succumbed to his injuries during treatment at the PMCH, police said.
SDPO-II, Barh, Abhishek Singh, said the police received the information that five people, including a woman and a child, were lying on the road beside two fallen motorcycles. "Initially, the police suspected that the couple and two youths were injured in a collision between two bikes. Manish and Kanchan were declared ‘brought dead' at a hospital in Bakhtiyarpur and their bodies were sent for postmortem. The child was unharmed," he said.
"The two injured youths were taken to the Barh sub-divisional hospital, from where they were referred to the PMCH. Sujeet died during treatment," he said.
However, during investigation the police found that both the bikes were not damaged, raising suspicion.
The injured youth, Naveen Kumar, during interrogation told the police that the incident took place when a group of over five people snatched his cellphone. "Police again inspected the area and found his cellphone at the crime spot," the SDPO told the reporters.
The SDPO-II said further investigation revealed that Naveen and his associates went to Phulelpur village with an intention to kill Sujeet over some dispute and they dragged him to Thamba village road. "In meantime, Manish and his wife who were passing by, protested against the assault of their acquaintance Sujeet. Angry over this, the criminals stabbed them. While Manish, Kanchan and Sujeet died, Naveen was injured. He is getting treatment under police custody," he said.
The police has apprehended a youth in the case and are conducting raids to arrest the other accused, said the SDPO.