Ara: Old feud and gang war are suspected to be the reasons for the firing at Ara railway station on Friday night that left two persons dead.

An FIR has been lodged with Government Railway Police but no one has been arrested yet.

Bhojpur superintendent of police (SP) Awakash Kumar said: "Md Hakim Raine, Md Aslam and Pankaj Kumar, alias Bottle Bind, had gone to the railway station premises around 8pm on Friday to have tea. Later, Aslam went to chew tobacco. At this time, four armed criminals on two motorcycles arrived at the spot and started to fire indiscriminately after an altercation with Hakim and Pankaj, killing them. The assailants escaped towards the Nawada police station firing in the air. The police have found eight blank cartridges, a live cartridge and motorcycles belonging to the deceased from the spot."

Sources in the police said Hakim and Pankaj went to the Ara station daily for tea. The police suspect the criminals did a recce of their movements before killing them on Friday. The possibility of Aslam working for the assailants is also being considered, the sources said, adding that Aslam has, however, refuted the charge.

SP Awakash said Hakim had a criminal background and was in close contact with the wanted criminals in the area. Hakim was a named accused in the murder of Abbu, son of RJD leader Md Ekram, in 2013 and was out on bail. Recently, residents in the area, said he had branched out to property dealings and was earning a lot, and developing rivalry with the other players in the market.

"He had some tiff with people of Bhaluhipur over an 8-cottah land about a week ago. Pankaj Kumar was a contractor but his criminal history is not known so far," Awakash said, adding that the duo could have been killed at the behest of a notorious criminal in Ara jail.

Awakash added that Aslam was being interrogated in the case, while the police was also taking the help of mobile surveillance and mobile tower locations to arrest the killers.