Mother-son murdered in Bihar's Khagaria; land dispute suspected behind attack

Patna, June 23 (IANS) In a shocking case suspected to be linked to a land dispute, a mother and son were found murdered inside their home in Mahddipur village under Pasraha police station in Khagaria district on Monday morning.

The victims have been identified as Phul Devi (60) and her son Pankaj Kumar (35). Both were shot dead and the accused also used a sharp-edge weapon to slit Kumar's throat.

According to preliminary investigations, the incident is believed to be connected to an ongoing dispute over 8 bighas of land.

The victim’s daughter, Savita Kumari, told police that the attack occurred while her mother and brother were asleep.

“There has been a longstanding land dispute. My father, Saatan Singh, is already in jail related to this matter. The accused may have targeted my mother and brother to avenge an earlier incident in which the opposing party's relative was killed,” she said.

Police officers have confirmed that the incident appears to stem from old enmity between the two families involved in the property dispute.

“We suspect this attack was an act of revenge. A detailed investigation is underway, and raids are being conducted to arrest the culprits. The attackers may have executed the murder on Sunday night and we learnt about the incident on Monday morning,” said Narendra Singh, ASI of Pasraha police station.

“The family members of the deceased have given some names of suspects. Accordingly, we have registered an FIR under the relevant BNS sections of murder. The raids are currently underway to nab the accused who are at large,” Singh said.

"The dead bodies have been recovered by our team and sent for a post-mortem in Sadar Hospital, Khagaria. We have also called the FSL team to investigate the incident and collect evidence from the crime scene,” Singh said.

The case has added to rising concerns about land-related violence in rural Bihar, where disputes often escalate into serious crimes.

--IANS

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