Chatra (Jharkhand), March 25 The Jharkhand Police have arrested five people in connection with the lynching of a youth named Ankit Gupta in Chatra city, an incident that triggered public outrage in the area.
The incident occurred on the night of March 20, when Ankit was allegedly attacked by a group of men. In response to the killing, local businesses in Chatra district headquarters remained shut for several hours on March 21 as residents took to the streets to protest the murder and demand justice for the deceased man.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Chatra ASP Ritwik Srivastava confirmed the arrest of five accused. Among them are three brothers -- Sushant Kumar, Sumit Kumar, and Saurabh Kumar, all residents of Nayaki Talab -- along with Milesh Kumar and Vishnu Kumar from Dadha village.
Police have also recovered the stick and knife used in the attack.
According to the investigation, the motive behind the killing was personal rivalry stemming from a previous altercation.
ASP Srivastava revealed that the violence was an act of revenge. "During Saraswati Puja earlier this year, Ankit Gupta and his friends had allegedly assaulted Sushant Kumar in Deepa Mohalla. Seeking retaliation, Sushant, along with his brothers and aides, plotted to attack Ankit," he said.
On the night of March 20, at around 8 p.m., the accused intercepted Ankit while he was riding his scooter near the Pathaldas temple on the main road in Chatra city. The group allegedly beat him with sticks and stabbed him multiple times, leaving him severely injured.
Ankit was rushed to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, where he succumbed to his injuries on the morning of March 21.
In the wake of the incident, SP Vikas Kumar Pandey constituted an SIT to expedite the probe. The team, led by ASP Srivastava, included Chatra SDPO Sandeep Suman, trainee DSP Wasim Raza, and Sadar police station in-charge Vipin Kumar, among others.
“The investigation is progressing swiftly, and raids are going on to apprehend other suspects involved in the crime,” ASP Srivastava said.
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