Seven arrested in Jharkhand govt official murder case, bamboo stick & bricks used in crime recovered

Ramgarh: Jharkhand Police have arrested seven persons in connection with the murder of Giridih Sub-Registrar Baleshwar Patel in Ramgarh district and recovered a blood-stained brick and a bamboo stick allegedly used in the crime, officials said on Wednesday. The murder took place in Balsagara village under Mandu police station limits on Tuesday, where Patel was allegedly attacked over a long-standing land dispute. All seven accused have been sent to judicial custody. Addressing reporters, Ramgarh Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said the attack occurred on the morning of June 30 amid a dispute over approximately 11 decimals of land. Patel sustained serious injuries in the assault and was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead, he said. Based on the statement of the victim's wife, Rita Devi, a murder case was registered at Mandu police station. Given the gravity of the incident, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted under the supervision of the Sub-Divisional Police Officer. The SIT conducted raids using technical evidence, video footage, local intelligence inputs and witness statements, leading to the arrest of seven accused. Those arrested have been identified as Santosh Kumar Sao alias Pampam, Sadhu Sao alias Gyani, Shakuntala Devi, Ruby Kumari, Vinay Kumar, Pooja Kumari, and Laxmi Devi alias Dolly Kumari. Police also recovered a blood-stained brick and a bamboo stick allegedly used in the murder from the possession of the accused. The SP said a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Ranchi, collected evidence from the crime scene as part of the scientific investigation. He added that the investigation is continuing and further legal action will be taken based on facts that emerge during the probe. According to police, Patel had come to his native village during the Hul Diwas holiday and had gone to inspect a borewell and submersible pump installed on the disputed land on Tuesday morning. He was allegedly attacked there, resulting in his death.