Two-year-old dies after being hit by stray bullet in Samastipur

Patna: A two-and-a-half-year-old child died after being hit by a stray bullet fired during a confrontation between two groups over a petty issue in ward 23 of the Kasbe Ahar locality under Tajpur police station area of Samastipur district on Tuesday night.The child, identified as Arib, son of Mohammad Nuram, was staying at his maternal grandfather’s house when the incident took place. The shooting reportedly stemmed from a dispute involving the child’s maternal uncle and some local residents, escalating into a fatal confrontation, and leading to the child’s death.A senior police official said that the child was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. “A forensic team has collected evidence from the spot, including an empty bullet shell. Villagers and family members have been questioned to gather more details,” the official said.Sadar SDPO Sanjay Kumar Pandey further said the child’s mother had been staying at her parental home for the past month. On Sept 21, the child’s uncle, Mohammed Arsh, and his friend were going somewhere on a motorcycle when they collided with another bike, sparking a confrontation between the two groups, he said.Following the altercation, both parties left with issuing threats to each other. On the night of Sept 23, the rival group arrived at Arsh’s residence to intimidate him. During the confrontation, shots were fired, and the child was fatally struck by a bullet. The assailants fled the spot after the shooting.The victim’s family initially opposed conducting a postmortem. However, they later consented following pressure from the police and intervention by local representatives, the police officer said.“The group involved has been identified, and raids are being conducted to arrest them. A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to expedite the probe. We are confident the case will be solved soon,” Pandey added.