Man kills two cousins and injures another in Purnia

Patna: A 22-year-old man, identified as Mohammad Arbaz, allegedly killed his two young cousins, Mohammad Inayat (5) and Gulnaz (3), by hitting them with a hand pump handle in Purnia district on Wednesday.

The attacker then cut out their tongues with a knife. A third child, one-and-a-half-year-old Kulsum, is fighting for her life. The incident occurred in Dingoz village under the Rauta police station area, police said.According to the police, Arbaz allegedly held a grudge against the victims’ family due to an old dispute and committed the crime with the help of his friend, Md Hasnain. Both Arbaz and Hasnain have been arrested, and an investigation is underway.A family member of the deceased children said that six years ago, the children’s maternal uncle had eloped with his aunt. There was opposition at home initially, but later everyone accepted it. However, the accused remained upset about the matter.Rauta SHO Kunal Kumar said, “The accused was a drug addict and allegedly asked his father for money to buy drugs a year ago. When his father refused, he started beating him.

Seeing the fight, the father of the deceased children intervened. The accused took offence to this as well.”The family of the deceased alleged that on Tuesday night, the accused fought with someone in the village. The father of the deceased children scolded him for the fight. Early the next morning, the accused silently barged into his uncle’s house. He saw three children sleeping in one room. He attacked two children with a hand pump handle and cut their tongues.

He was strangling the third child when family members arrived, and he fled.Upon receiving information about the incident, a police team from Rauta station reached the spot and arrested both accused. “An FIR has been filed against Arbaz and Hasnain based on the family’s complaint. The knife used in the killing has been recovered from the accused’s possession. The injured child is in critical condition and is being treated at Sadar hospital. Both accused are being interrogated to ascertain the exact motive behind the murder,” the SHO added.