Two teenagers were found dead inside a well in Barhpur village under Mokama police station in Patna district on Thursday, with police suspecting that the boys were assaulted before being thrown into the water.
The deceased were identified as Rajneesh Kumar and Sonu Kumar, both aged around 15 to 16 years. Their bodies bore visible head injuries, according to the police account reported by Times of India – Patna. The deaths triggered panic among residents of the village.
The incident came to light after an elderly woman grazing goats near the village heard a sound from the well and saw two people fleeing from the area. She alerted local residents, who then informed the police. A police team accompanied by Barh SDPO-I Ram Krishna reached the spot at around 3.30pm.
Local divers were called to search the well, which contained an estimated 25 to 30 feet of water. The bodies of the two teenagers were subsequently recovered. Initial reports had suggested that four children might have been thrown into the well, but police later rejected that account after searching the site.
SDPO Ram Krishna Kumar said only two bodies were found after a thorough search. Police are examining the circumstances in which the boys entered the area and how they died. The officer said the teenagers, who were friends, may have been involved in a dispute with other youths from the village.
The head injuries have led police to suspect that the boys may have been assaulted before being thrown into the well. This remains part of the preliminary investigation and will be examined alongside the postmortem findings and other evidence collected at the scene.
Rajneesh’s father, Rampravesh, said his son had left home in the morning and later went missing. The account has become part of the police inquiry into the boys’ movements before their bodies were found.
Police are examining witness statements and technical evidence as investigators work to establish the sequence of events. A forensic team also inspected the spot, while the bodies were sent for postmortem examination.
The postmortem report and the evidence collected by the forensic team are expected to assist the investigation into the cause of death and whether the injuries were sustained before the teenagers entered the well. Police have not announced any arrests or confirmed the identities of the people seen fleeing the area.
