Bhagalpur, May 12: Villagers, including women, forced a six-member police team to release 13 criminals last evening.

The incident occurred in Laxmipur village in southeastern part of Munger district.

Around 250 villagers in a whiplash strike overpowered the police led by Haveli Khadagpur deputy superintendent of police, K. Chandra, and freed the arrested men.

The released criminals were nabbed in a raid in Laxmipur village earlier in the day.

Chandra said the villagers attacked the police with batons, sickles and other agricultural tools at a village farmhouse, where the policemen were holding the criminals after arresting them.

Chandra said: “I was busy contacting senior officials at the sub-divisional and district headquarters when the villagers struck, releasing the captives, including Prashant Mitra, a contract killer wanted by police in a dozen cases of murder. He was absconding for 10 years. We lacked in strength and were not able to counter the sudden attack.”

Police sources said Chandra had led the team to the village acting on a tip-off that Prashant Mishra and his accomplices were camping here to support their candidate in the local body polls.