In a breakthrough in the Bansgoda murder case, the police have arrested five individuals accused of murdering a man during a violent assault on a gambling den under the jurisdiction of Marafari police station on August 1. The fatal incident occurred when a group of masked assailants opened fire on gamblers near a local general store.
The victim, Mantu Das, a resident of Sector-12, sustained gunshot injuries and later succumbed at a hospital. Police investigations confirmed the involvement of eight individuals in the attack, out of whom three — including the suspected mastermind — are still absconding.
SP Harvinder Singh announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by DSP Animesh Kumar Gupta, was formed to track down the culprits. Through a mix of technical surveillance and human intelligence, the SIT arrested five of the eight accused.
The arrested individuals include:
Birbal Kumar Singh (Khetko, Petarwar)
Shekhar Kumar
Pramod Kumar Dhar
Krish Kumar
Surajdev Singh
Birbal Singh has a record of eight criminal cases, while the others were wanted for crimes including armed robbery, theft, extortion, and shootings. The police also seized country-made pistols, live cartridges, two motorcycles, and Rs 2,000 in cash during the operation.
SP Singh also revealed that the accused confessed to their involvement in a liquor shop robbery in Petarwar in June 2025. Police continue their efforts to apprehend the remaining three suspects.
