Teenagers murdered by contract killers hired by girl’s family: Police

Patna: The two teenagers whose mutilated bodies were found on the Patna-Gaya railway track on Sept 12 were abducted and killed by contract killers hired by the girl’s family, police said on Sunday.

They were strangled to death and their bodies dumped on the tracks to give the impression of suicide.Three people have been arrested, including members of the Mahakal gang and the landlady of the rented house where the couple had stayed. The victims were identified as Subodh Kumar, 19, and a 16-year-old girl, who had eloped from Dhanarua in Patna district on Sept 6. The girl’s family filed a kidnapping FIR against Subodh on Sept 7.Those arrested were named as Rahul Kumar (23), Dinbandhu Kumar (50), and landlady Rakhi Devi (35). Rahul and Dinbandhu were identified as gang members. City SP (East) Parichay Kumar said that the girl’s uncle Sunil Kumar masterminded the killing with the gang’s involvement.“The girl and boy ran away from home and were hiding in a rented house in Ramkrishna Nagar for Rs 3,000 a month. The involvement of the house owner and landlady in the murder case has also come to light.

They helped in destroying and concealing evidence. House owner Rakhi has been arrested, but the landlord Dharamraj is still at large,” the City SP said.An FIR based on a complaint by Subodh’s mother, Sushila Devi, named 12 accused. Police said about 15 people arrived in a car and three bikes at Ramkrishna Nagar on Sept 11. The couple were kidnapped, strangled inside the car, and their bodies dumped on the Chandan Nagar railway track in Patna district.City SP added, “Police investigation revealed that the couple stayed in the rented room from Sept 7 to Sept 10. Meanwhile, they also married in a temple. Subodh shared a photo of applying sindoor on the girl’s forehead on social media.”