Patna: Begusarai police have said the recent spree of murder and attacks in the district is criminals' retaliation to the superintendent of police's action against land-grabbers lodged in jail.

Raju Jha and Murari Singh, dons lodged in the Begusarai district jail, 100km east of Patna, have purportedly ordered their associates to unleash terror to get SP Aditya Kumar out of the district.

The SP told The Telegraph on Saturday that Begusarai residents Jha and Singh had been overheard ordering their associates. "Few of the people lodged in jail have acquired property over Rs 100 crore in the past few years through land-grabbing cases. Now that I have cracked down on their main source of income, the dons have retaliated."

On Friday, two persons were injured when criminals opened fire on BJP leader Amrit Singh at Bihat. A day earlier, an assistant in the district collectorate Dilip Kumar Yadav was shot at and critically injured near Janipur Dhala. Bombs were also hurled at the residence of one Ajay Singh under Navkothi police station area, injuring two persons.

Dr Sunil Kumar and RJD MLA Upendra Paswan were attacked recently, and Madhepura resident Sanjeev Kumar's murder had baffled cops as he had no enmity. "The police came to know that the assailants followed their kingpin's order to unleash terror on the district," said a police official.

Peeved at the spurt in crime, Begusarai BJP MP Bhola Singh said: "The situation is going out of hand. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Begusarai is in a 'mini-Chambal'-like situation. Murder, extortion and bomb explosions have become order of the day."

Singh said he would request chief minister Nitish Kumar to look into the matter.

The district magistrate and SP have proposed to book Jha, Singh and Prince Kumar under the Crime Control Act.