Khunti (Jharkhand), May 18 (IANS) The brutal murder of two minors — a teenage boy and a girl — in Jharkhand’s Khunti district has triggered panic in the area.

The incident occurred in Model Village Jivri under the Soyko police station limits, where unidentified assailants allegedly attacked the two with sharp-edged weapons, killing them before dumping their bodies at the foothills of the Marangburu hills, police officials said on Monday.

Police recovered the bodies on Monday after local residents gave them information about the presence of bodies.

The deceased have been identified as Bisu Pahan (16) and Sumi Mundu (17), both residents of Bada Jivri.

According to police, a Chhau dance programme had been organised in the Soyko area on Sunday night, which both victims had attended. Around 1 a.m., Bisu reportedly got into an argument with a group of youths. As the dispute escalated, the attackers allegedly abducted both teenagers and took them to a nearby field, where they were assaulted with sharp weapons and killed.

After committing the crime, the accused are said to have dumped the bodies at the foothills of the Marangburu hills in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.

The bodies were later spotted by villagers, who alerted the police. A team from Soyko police station reached the spot, took custody of the bodies, and sent them for postmortem examination. The bodies were handed over to the families for the last rites after the autopsy.

Village head Binsai Munda has expressed apprehension that the incident may be linked to a possible love affair.

Khunti Superintendent of Police Rishabh Garg said the two minors had attended the Chhau programme and were subsequently murdered.

He added that police are probing all angles and have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to identify and arrest the accused. Raids are currently underway, he added.

–IANS

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