Three held in spit case

• BIHARSHARIF: Noorsarai police on Saturday arrested three persons for forcing an elderly resident spit and lick his own saliva on the directive of the local panchayat head on Thursday. Noorsarai police station house officer (SHO) Ranjan Malviya said three of the named accused, identified as Arun Mahto, Ramvriksha Mahto and Dharmendra Yadav, were nabbed during a raid at their suspected hideout. Eight persons have been made named accused with the ninth accused unknown. Mahesh Thakur had lodged the complaint on Friday after a video showing punishment awarded to him by the panchayat head Dayanand Majhi was uploaded on a social networking site.

Gangster killed

• PATNA: Makhan Gope, a gangster, was killed in an alleged gang war in the Digha police station area of Patna on Saturday. Police said Makhan was involved in over a dozen cases of murder, extortion and land grabbing in areas under Danapur and Digha police stations in Patna.