Top police officials have begun a damage control exercise after a video, in which a person resembling deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Anjani Kumar is seen slapping gangster Mukesh Pathak, went viral on social media on July 14.

Pathak, a sharpshooter with the Santosh Jha gang, was arrested on July 11 from Jharkhand and was subsequently taken to Laheriasarai police station in Darbhanga district. He is being interrogated for his alleged role in the murder of Mukesh Kumar and Brajesh Kumar, engineers who had been working at a Darbhanga road project, in December last year.

The video shows Pathak, who is in police remand for three days, being slapped ahead of being produced at the local court. The police headquarters has issued a showcause notice to Kumar after the video went viral. "We have sought an explanation from the officer regarding his actions," said an additional director-general of police who didn't wish to be named.

Anjani, who has denied slapping Pathak, played down the action against him. "There is nothing serious about it. It's a routine affair," he said.

Special task force (STF) personnel have recovered an AK-56 rifle, allegedly used in the twin Darbhanga murders, during raids in Sitamarhi and Sheohar districts. The STF team headed by additional superintendent of police Ramakant Prasad also arrested Sanjay Jha, Vijay Jha, Aditya and Shankar Jha, members of the Santosh Jha gang, and seized the pistols and 25 live cartridges from them. Sanjay and Vijay were arrested in Sitamarhi, while Aditya and Shankar were nabbed from neighbouring Sheohar. Vijay claims to be a commander of the criminal outfit North Bihar Liberation Army. Senior police officials are currently interrogating the men.

Santosh Jha is lodged in Gaya central jail.