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| Vivekanand Bharti and (right) Mohammad Iqbal Raja at Sakri police station in Purnea. Picture by Mohan Mahato |
Traffic was paralysed on National Highway 31 after a mob blocked it for around four hours on Tuesday to protest the murder of a businessman on Monday night.
The murder had occurred under the jurisdiction of Khushki Bagunder Sadar police station of the district when motorcycle-borne criminals shot dead 45-year-old Ramkrishna Pal around 10pm. The businessman was returning home after closing his cosmetics shop at Khushki Bagh.
Businessmen blocked NH-31 around 8am demanding arrest of the criminals. They also demanded compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the kin of the deceased and a government job for a member of the family.
Commuters had to wait for more than four hours till the blockade was lifted after the intervention of officials.
The sub-divisional police officer of Purnea rural, Manoj Kumar, said: “It is quite common for protesters to block the road whenever a murder or any other incident occurs.”
Khushki Bagh resident Pravin Kumar said: “Protesters blocked NH-31. They blocked Katihar More, Belori Chowk and the Purnea-Katihar road for more than four hours.”
Another resident said: “There is no law and order here. The police and the administration must take action and assure the safety of the traders.”
Frauds in net
Two men posing as government officials were arrested from a hotel on Monday evening.
The duo, identified as Vivekanand Bharti and Mohammad Iqbal Raja, are residents of Begusarai under the jurisdiction of Nav Kothi police station. Bharti had posed as a food inspector, while Raja claimed to be a labour inspector. Both had demanded Rs 10,000 from hotel owner Arun Kumar accusing him of employing kids as labourers.
The hotel is located on the Darbhanga-Madhubani road under the jurisdiction of Sakari police station.
Sakri police station sub-inspector Rabindra Kumar Singh said: “Bharti and Raja have confessed to their crime.
He said: “We seized a car, fake identity cards and an ATM card from them.”
