Patna/Samastipur, March 10: Four cases of lynching in three days have exposed the state of law and order in Bihar.

“Street justice” returned to haunt the state today when a mob burnt alive a murder accused, Mintu Paswan, and beat up his accomplice, Shambhu Pasi (28) in Samastipur district when they were trying to flee on a motorbike. Another accused, Ravi Ram (30), managed to flee the spot taking the advantage of the crowd.

According to sources, the three were fleeing after allegedly killing an 80-year-old woman, Charo Devi, at Pagra village under Dalsing Sarai police station.

Mintu, an alleged sharpshooter, is named in several cases of murder, loot, extortion and abduction in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Sources said, Charo Devi’s sons — Kundan Paswan and Lalan Paswan — were key witnesses in a murder case against Mintu.

Deputy inspector-general of police, Darbhanga range, Sudhanshu Kumar told The Telegraph: “Mintu and his accomplices had gone to Charo’s residence to threaten her sons who are the key witnesses in the murder of Surendra Yadav, a CPM leader (on January 9 this year).”

Kundan was not at home and the three accused got into an altercation with Charu and Lallan and killed the octogenarian in a fit of rage.

Later, a violent mob chased down the three accused and set Mintu afire along with the bike. The police recovered 15 rounds of bullet from the spot.

The bodies of both Charo and Minto have been sent to Samastipur Sadar hospital for post-mortem.

In another incident, a 25-year-old youth, Bunty Singh, was beaten to death by a mob at Kaiderabad village under Bachhwada police station in Begusarai district on Friday. The police said Singh had criminal antecedents and was released from jail about one-and-a-half-months ago.

Sub-divisional police officer Arshad Jaman said that Singh was chased by a mob of 300-400 residents when he was allegedly misbehaving with some women on the occasion of Holi. Singh opened fire on the mob, which later caught him and shot him with his (Singh’s) pistol. The police, however, failed to recover the firearm used in the killing. In Patna, a 22-year-old engineering student was allegedly beaten to death by three persons of a family on Thursday evening only a few blocks away from his house at road number 24 under Rajiv Nagar police station. Seemant Kumar, a third-year student of Corporate Institute of Science and Technology, Bhopal, had come home for Holi celebrations. His attackers — Indal Sah, an employee at the regional passport office, and his sons Dharmendra and Pintu — allegedly beat up the boy for being involved in a love affair with a girl of the family, said sources

Seemant’s father Mithilesh Kumar Singh is a teacher of botany at a college in Samastipur. All three accused have been nabbed. Another accused Rajesh, nephew of Indal, is absconding, the police added. According to the statement of those arrested, Seemant had entered their home with a wrong motive, said police sources.

On Thursday morning, a middle-aged vegetable seller was lynched after an altercation at Naubatpur market over buying mutton for Holi. Police have registered a case of murder against unidentified accused.