PATNA: The casualty in the Bihta shoot-out between two rival gangs on Thursday allegedly involved in illegal sand mining on the banks of Sone river has gone up to three after two more bodies were recovered from the Ganga river near NIT ghat in Patna late Saturday, police said.
On Friday, conflicting versions emerged from the Bihar Police after an official on Thursday claimed that at least four people were killed while additional director general (ADG) of police (headquarters) JS Gangwar said only one body has been recovered so far and identified as of one Vimlesh Singh from Bhojpur.
According to Patna senior superintendent of police(SSP) MS Dhillon, the two bodies have been identified as Mukesh Singh alias Lalendra Singh, a resident of Nalanda, and Laldev Rai, a resident of Byapur in rural Patna.
The SSP said the bodies were tangled in wires that are used to attach boats and were spotted by locals around 12:30 pm. At around 9:30 pm, the bodies were identified by Mukesh’s brother Manish .
Laldev’s brother Dilip Rai while talking with reporters in the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) said, “If police press a dog squad in the spot, more bodies will be recovered. Many bodies were dumped in the sand after the shoot-out”.
Meanwhile, the body of one Shatrughan Rai, who is said to be missing, is yet to be recovered, said a family member of Rai. “On Saturday, Rai’s wife had gone to the Bihta police station to lodge an FIR (first information report), but it was not accepted,” the family member said.
