Extortionists fire 6 rounds at Bihta shop

PATNA: Bike-borne criminals opened fire at

Kesari Medical Agency

on Chini Mill Road under the

Bihta

police station area in Patna on Wednesday. No casualty was reported.

Police said the two criminals wearing helmets reached the wholesale shop around 10am and fired at least six rounds at the shop. The shop is owned by brothers Raju Bharti and

Sanjeev Bharti

, who also own

Kesri Electricals

in Bihta.

Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj said a caller had asked for extortion money from the Bhartis few days back and threatened them with dire consequences if they failed to pay.

“The Bhartis did not inform police then. We came to know about the call after the firing incident,” the SSP said and added preliminary investigations hinted at the involvement of criminal Manoj Singh of Naubatpur in the firing.

Meanwhile, police on Tuesday arrested Guddu Manjhi (23) from Nagma village under the Naubatpur police station area of Patna district in connection with the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl.

Naubatpur police station SHO

Prem Raj Chauhan

said Guddu, a native of

Sorampur

village in Dulhin Bazaar area, had taken away the girl from her home on Monday after which she had gone missing. He was known to the victim’s parents.

“Guddu was detained by police... He confessed to having strangulated the girl after raping her twice in a sugarcane field,” the SHO said and added Guddu was earlier accused of raping and killing an eight-year-old girl in Paliganj area in 2015.

Arrested after the earlier crime, Guddu had fled from the police custody, the SHO said.