Koderma, Aug. 5: Residents of Jhumri Tilaiya shut down the town today to protest against the brutal killing of four school students allegedly by the Om Yadav gang.

Thousands of villagers from the Bendi and Gujhandi descended on the town in the morning and marched through the streets.

The villagers were led by Babulal Yadav, father of 11-year-old Sanjay and 14-year-old Mukesh. The two students were murdered allegedly by the henchmen of the Om Yadav group in December 2003.

Hazaribagh police have detained Mritunjay Singh alias Raja, Surajdeo Yadav, Vijay Shukla and Pramod Kumar Rajak, all members of the Om Yadav gang. They were sent to the Koderma subjail today.

Yesterday evening, belongings of another murdered student, 14-year-old Dhiraj Rai, were recovered near a railway pole one kilometre away from the Koderma railway station on the outskirts of the town.

Dhiraj was kidnapped two-and-a-half years ago by the Om Yadav gang. Mritunjay told the police that he murdered Dhiraj because the boy had become close to his sister.

Boy missing

Ten-year-old Kaifi has gone missing from his school in Hazaribagh. His father today lodged a complaint with the Pelawal police. Kaifi, a student of Active Children’s School, went missing on Tuesday. He went to school but did not come back.