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Begusarai police on Wednesday detained five suspects and suspended seven policemen on charge of dereliction of duty a day after four unidentified persons on two motorcycles went on a rampage, firing indiscriminately at people on NH-28 to leave one person dead and several other injured with bullet wounds.
According to police, the assailants travelled 25 km from Samastipur towards Patna and targeted people on two-wheelers or those walking along NH-28 (Begusarai-Patna). The injured victims — the eldest of them 41 years old — are said to be out of danger.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, meanwhile, did not rule out a political conspiracy behind the incident but said the police are looking at “all possible angles”. He said, “I have discussed the matter threadbare with senior officers and discussed patrolling (lapses).”
Nitish said such an incident is unheard of in the state.
Begusarai Superintendent of Police Yogendra Kumar said: “We have detained five people and are studying CCTV footage to get a clear lead. We have suspended seven policemen from the patrolling team for failing to nab the bikers.”
On Wednesday, Begusarai range DIG, Satyaveer Singh, released CCTV video grabs showing four men on two bikes. The police have announced an award of Rs 50,000 for anyone identifying the suspects.
Meanwhile, police said Chandan Kumar (31), who was killed, was an engineer at Barauni thermal power plant. He had received bullet injuries while passing through NH-28 at Barauni. His wife and four-year-old daughter survive Kumar.
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Mounting an attack on the Nitish Kumar government, Opposition BJP called the incident a result of “poor policing” that puts “a big question mark on safety” of the people.
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