Criminals shoot accountant

Muzaffarpur: Armed criminals shot dead Vinay Kumar Jha, an accountant of scrap dealer Vinod Kumar Jaiswal, near Bairiya under the jurisdiction of Ahiyapur police station on Tuesday afternoon.

The criminals had demanded extortion money from Jaiswal, who had lodged a complaint with the police. Deputy superintendent of police (city) Upendra Prasad said about 10 criminals, armed with firearms, raided Jaiswal’s shops and opened fire.

Jha, an accountant employed by Jaiswal, sustained injuries in his chest and abdomen. He was rushed to a private nursing home, where he was declared brought dead. Angered by the incident, hundreds of residents blocked Muzaffarpur-Patna, Muzaffarpur-Motihari and Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga roads for five hours. The protesters demanded action against criminals and extortionists harassing the trading community. They forced shops and business establishments to shut down. Later, they allowed the police to take the body for autopsy.

Toddy poisoning

Gopalganj: Rajesh Paswan, a resident of Misrabatarhwa village under the jurisdiction of Phulwaria police station, was allegedly poisoned to death on Monday night. A source said while drinking liquor with friends, he consumed toddy laced with poison. When his condition started deteriorating he was taken to a private hospital on Tuesday, where he died during course of treatment. Police are investigating the case.

Mishap

Chhapra: Harendra Prasad, 35, was crushed to death on Monday night when a truck laden with sand dashed against his roadside house at Bramhapur under the jurisdiction of Bhagwan Bazaar police station. Agitated residents of the area blocked National Highway 85 for two hours on Tuesday. The driver is absconding. Police sent the corpse for post-mortem.

Family suicide

Muzaffarpur (PTI): A woman and her children alleged committed suicide at their home at Fatehpur village on Tuesday, said police sources. The bodies of the woman, 50-year-old Saraswati Devi, 22-year-old son Sandeep Kumar and 18-year-old daughter Mamata Kumari were found by neighbours in village under the jurisdiction of Kanti police station, the sources said. The family was facing financial difficulties. They allegedly consumed poison.

Drugs seizure

Motihari: Railway Protection Force personnel seized a consignment of 40kg charas on Tuesday from a passenger train near Cakhia railway station. Acting on a tip off, the RPF men carried out a search in a coach of Gorakhpur-Muzaffarpur passenger train and seized the charas in 82 packets, valued at a few lakh rupees, sources said. No arrest was made.

Flood watch

Patna: All the river embankments in Bihar are safe, said a water resources department source on Tuesday said. The source said: “The field officials are keeping a close watch on embankments, as directed by the chief minister, as damage to them may lead to floods.”