A 38-year-old man was allegedly murdered over a land sale dispute in Samastipur district, with his body recovered from the Shanti river on Tuesday morning. The deceased, identified as Ranjit Kumar, a resident of Kusiyari Harpurva in Chakmahesi, was found in Baghmara village under Kalyanpur police station area.
Details of the Incident
According to police, Ranjit was stabbed in the neck with a sharp-edged weapon before his body was dumped into the river. The victim had been working in Delhi but returned to his village about a year ago after his father's death, taking up farming.
Police said Ranjit paid an advance of Rs 10.50 lakh to his neighbor Atish Mahato for the purchase of five katthas of land at Rs 2.25 lakh per kattha. Despite receiving the full amount, Atish allegedly refused to register the land in Ranjit's name.
Sequence of Events
On Monday evening, Atish called Ranjit from his house, asking him to come along to see the land documents. Later, around 10 pm, Ranjit made a frantic call to his wife, asking for help, said Ranjit's uncle, Rajendra Kumar Mahato.
Rajendra said the family immediately began searching for him after the call ended. They later learned that Atish had taken Ranjit to his hotel and offered him food. During the search, two of Atish's associates, Nitish and Rahul, were detained by police. They reportedly revealed that Ranjit was hacked to death with a sharp weapon and his body was dumped into the river.
Police Investigation
Sadar DSP-II Sanjay Kumar confirmed that the murder resulted from a dispute related to money transactions involving land purchase and sale. Two people have been detained and are being interrogated, while the main accused, Atish, is still absconding. “Police have launched raids to arrest the accused,” he said.
The incident highlights ongoing tensions over land disputes in rural Bihar. Further investigation is underway.
