Ara: A 17-year-old Intermediate student was shot dead in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, with his body discovered early on Monday near a culvert along the Banahi–Bankat road under Shahpur police station limits, police said.
The victim, identified as Sumit Pandey, was the son of Raju Pandey, a resident of Banahi village. His death has sent shockwaves through the locality, leaving family members and residents grieving.
According to relatives, Sumit had been living in Surat, Gujarat, with his father, who works for a private company. He had recently returned to his native village to appear for his Intermediate examinations and had spent some time at his maternal uncle’s village, Ojhwaliya, before returning to Banahi a day before the incident.
Family members said Sumit had gone to sleep at home on Sunday night alongside his grandfather. When the elderly man woke up at around 3am on Monday, the teenager was no longer in bed. A search was launched, and his body was later found lying near a culvert a short distance from the house.
Police said the student had sustained gunshot injuries.
Shahpur station house officer Rajesh Malakar reached the spot with a police team after receiving information about the incident. The body was taken into custody and sent to Ara Sadar hospital for postmortem examination.
Authorities said a forensic science laboratory (FSL) team has been called to assist with the investigation. Police are examining evidence from the crime scene and analysing technical leads to determine the motive behind the killing.
Sumit was a first-year Intermediate student at Plus Two Upgraded School in Ishwarpura, Shahpur. According to his family, his annual examinations were scheduled to begin on Monday.
Police said the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the postmortem report is received, adding that the case is being investigated from all possible angles.
