A couple who ran a tea and snacks shop were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Bhagalpur’s Hatia area early Thursday, while police investigate the motive, question an arrested suspect and examine whether the killings are linked to the disappearance of the woman’s two-and-a-half-year-old niece.
The victims were identified as Ranjan Mandal, 40, and his wife, Kiran Devi, 35. They were found dead at their shop in Hatia under Ismailpur police station. The couple is survived by two children, aged around 16 and 14, according to the report.
Their son, Madan Kumar, told police that three men arrived on a motorcycle late at night and asked Ranjan for snacks. When Ranjan refused, citing the late hour, the men allegedly opened fire. Madan alleged that around 10 rounds were fired, with one bullet striking his father in the eye and two hitting his mother.
The account of the response after the shooting has been disputed. Madan alleged that the family called Dial-112 and that police arrived nearly half an hour later. He also claimed that when family members reached the police station, the couple was still breathing and officers asked them to take the victims to hospital in an e-rickshaw. Naugachia SDPO Saiyam Raza rejected the allegation of police negligence as baseless and said he had personally arranged an ambulance to transport the bodies.
There are also differences in the reported timing and description of the injuries. Madan placed the shooting between 3 am and 3:30 am, while the SDPO said it occurred between 4:10 am and 4:25 am. According to the SDPO, Ranjan suffered two bullet injuries, one in the eye and another below the shoulder, while Kiran was shot in the lower abdomen. The discrepancies are part of the investigation.
The case has widened after the family reported that Pallavi Kumari, the couple’s two-and-a-half-year-old niece, had been missing for two days. A police complaint was lodged on October 19, and relatives had been searching for the child. Police have not established whether her disappearance is connected to the shootings.
Police teams from Ismailpur and Gopalpur inspected the crime scene, while a forensic science laboratory team was called to collect evidence. SDPO Raza said Saurabh Mandal had been arrested and was being questioned, with efforts continuing to trace the other alleged assailants. Angry villagers initially refused to allow the bodies to be taken away but later relented after police intervention.
