Five burnt to death in Bihar village

PATNA - Five people, including a former village body head, were burnt to death when a group of men attacked them and set their vehicle on fire in Bihar’s Banka district, police said Sunday. One person has been arrested and 15 people have been booked for the crime.

Prayag Yadav, the former head of Tilkara panchayat, and four of his supporters were killed Saturday night near Bhaljore More in Banka, about 170 km from here.

The five were on their way to Jhalar village when a group of men attacked them with bombs and opened fire, said Superintendent of Police Shyam Kumar.

“First the criminals attacked Yadav’s vehicle, which then overturned as the driver lost control. The assailants opened fire, poured petrol on the vehicle and set it ablaze. Yadav and others were burnt alive inside the vehicle,” Kumar said.

Inspector General of Police (Bhagalpur range) Vinay Kumar said the killing could be because of an old enmity between Prayag Yadav and current village body head Babu Lal Yadav.

A person identified as Madhusudan Yadav has been arrested and a search is on for the other culprits, Kumar added.