The kidnapping and murder of a 31-year-old bank official Jaivardhan Kumar, whose body was found on Wednesday, sparked protests in Nalanda district on Thursday with local residents paralysing traffic on national highway 20.

The residents, mostly from Jaivardhan’s village Bargaon under the jurisdiction of Rajgir police station in Nalanda district, around 105 km south of Patna, put up a road blockade near Kargil Chowk by burning tyres. They didn’t even allow two-wheelers to ply.

A team from the neighbouring Deepnagar police station rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the protesters in vain. A violent clash with the policemen ensued when the cops used force to remove the road blockade and tried to restore traffic flow.

The road blockade was lifted after Nalanda deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Somnath Prasad assured the protesters that the remaining accused in the case would be brought to book at the earliest. Four of the seven persons named as accused have so far been arrested.

Nalanda superintendent of police (SP) Sudhir Kumar Porika said three persons, identified as Mitthu Kumar, Krishna Kumar and Chandan Kumar, were arrested from Beghumpur, Mustafapur and Paparnausa villages respectively. The vehicle used in the crime has also been seized.

Jaivardhan’s mobile phone was found from the house of one Ajay Kumar at Budhauli village in neighbouring Nawada district. He has also been arrested.

Babloo Singh, a neighbour of the slain bank manager, is suspected to be the mastermind of the kidnapping and murder.

Old enmity appeared to be the motive, the SP said.

The victim’s family members, however, claimed that Jaivardhan was kidnapped for ransom. The family had taken a petrol pump on lease about two months ago.

Jaivardhan’s uncle Rohit Verma had lodged an FIR lodged with the Rajgir police station after the bank manager went missing on September 27. Jaivardhan was held captive while returning to his village from his bank, the Madhya Bihar Gramin Bank located at Kasar in Sheikhpura district. His motorbike is yet to the recovered.

“The arrest of three other accused will throw more light on the case,” the SP said, adding that a special investigation team headed by DSP Somnath was on the job.

The four arrested persons were on Thursday produced in court, which remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days.

Jaivardhan’s body was found from Koderma dam in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district on Wednesday, a day after the police nabbed three of Jaivardhan’s abductors.

They had revealed that the bank manager was murdered the day he was kidnapped.