Patna, June 10 (IANS) Two people were found murdered on Tuesday morning near the Majhauli-Singhara rural road under Bikram police station on the outskirts of Patna, triggering concerns about rising crime in the area. Earlier, on Monday three members of a family were shot at, with a mother-daughter duo losing their life in the drive-by shooting. These back-to-back murders in the last 24 hours have raised concerns about the law and order situation in Bihar.

Confirming the development, Patna SSP Awakash Kumar said that the villagers alerted the police about the presence of the bodies of two men lying by the roadside.

A police team promptly reached the spot and recovered the bullet-riddled bodies.

The deceased have been identified as Sonu Kumar and Roshan Kumar, both residents of Bagha Kol in Patna. Sonu has a criminal background and he was allegedly involved in the murder case of Chokidar in 2022.

“Both individuals had visible gunshot wounds on their bodies. Their dead bodies were taken into police custody and shifted to a hospital for post-mortem.

“The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team has also been called to the scene to assist with the investigation. An FIR is being registered based on the statements of the relatives of the deceased,” Kumar said.

“The reason behind the incident is yet to be ascertained. We have initiated a detailed investigation and launched a search operation to trace and arrest those involved in the killings. As Sonu has a criminal background, we are investigating this angle too,” he said.

Earlier on Monday morning, three members of a family sustained injuries after being shot at in the Arfabad locality under Alamganj police station limits in Patna.

Among them, two individuals, a mother and her daughter, succumbed to their bullet injuries in hospital.

The incident occurred around 9:15 AM when the victims — a husband, wife, and their daughter — were headed to the local market and were shot by two bike-borne gunmen.

The woman has been identified as Mahalaxmi Mehta, a retired nurse of NMCH, and her husband as Dhananjay Mehta.

Mahalaxmi and her daughter had sustained gunshot injuries on their chest, stomach and back while Dhananjay was shot in the leg.

These back-to-back murders in the last 24 hours have raised concerns about the deteriorating law and order situation in the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-ruled state.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal has once again intensified its criticism of the Nitish Kumar government, accusing it of failing to maintain law and order.

The ruling party, however, remains on the defensive amid growing public scrutiny ahead of the Assembly elections.

–IANS

ajk/rad