Patna, May 28: Three motorcycle-borne teenagers died of burn injuries under mysterious circumstances near Kataria overbridge under Hilsa police station in Nalanda district, about 120km south-east of Patna, late on Friday night.

The incident occurred around 9.30pm, when the youths were on their way to Biharsharif, the district headquarters of Nalanda, from their native village at Balbhadra Bigha, on a motorcycle.

The bike suddenly caught fire on Patna-Hilsa road and the trio sustained serious burn injuries. All the three died on the spot and the motorcycle was gutted in the fire.

The deceased have been identified as Vicky Kumar, Bittu Kumar and Mantoo Kumar, all aged between 15 and 18. Vicky and Mantoo belonged to the same family.

The relatives of the deceased suspected foul play, though. They alleged that the teenagers were assaulted with iron rods and subsequently burnt to death.

The grief-stricken relatives told the police that Vicky, nephew of a JD (U) leader, had called Bittu and Mantoo and persuaded them to accompany him on the motorcycle. The police were trying to hush up the matter because of political pressure, they added.

Both Mantoo and Bittu, according to their relatives, told their family members while leaving home that they were going to attend a marriage ceremony at the village and would return late at night.

“We have come to know that Bittu and Mantoo were mercilessly beaten up and when they lost consciousness, petrol was poured on them and the two-wheeler was set on fire,” a close relative of the victims said.

The police, however, refuted the allegation saying the post-mortem report did not suggest any injury caused either by firearm or any weapon.

Nalanda superintendent of police Jitendra Singh Rana told The Telegraph that prima facie, it appeared to be a case of accidental fire. “There was no sign of external injury on the bodies of the victims,” he said, adding that the police were investigating the matter.

The police claimed that a patrolling car rushed to the spot within 10 minutes of the incident and the victims were rushed to the Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared them “brought dead”.

An investigating officer said the youths might have been in an inebriated state and the engine of the motorcycle caught fire because of fuel leakage.

“All these aspects are being probed,” he said, adding that a village chowkidar was an eyewitness to the incident.

He said the chowkidar was watching the scene from a nearby petrol outlet on the national highway. “The road is so busy that nobody can commit such a crime,” the officer posted at Hilsa police station said.

The residents of the area, however, said two persons were killed after being robbed of their belonging on the same spot about two months ago.