Ara/Patna: A police officer from Jharkhand was found murdered at his home in Bihar’s Bhojpur district late on Friday night, prompting an investigation into a killing that occurred just weeks before his scheduled retirement.
The victim, identified as Pashupati Nath Tiwari, 60, was serving as a havildar-cum-driver at a police station in Hazaribagh district. He had returned to his native village of Bhagwatpur, under the Chandi police station area, after a burglary was reported at his house earlier this week.
According to police, Tiwari was attacked while he was sleeping alone in his room. His throat was slit with a sharp weapon, and his body was found lying on a blood-soaked bed. Officers also reported that the thumb of his right hand was missing, raising suspicions of a premeditated act.
Police reached the scene after receiving information from family members and took the body into custody. A postmortem examination was conducted at the district hospital before the body was handed over to relatives later in the day.
Tiwari’s younger brother, Bharat Bhushan Tiwari, told reporters that the officer had joined the police force in 1989 and was due to retire in January. He said the family had no prior knowledge of any dispute involving the victim. “A theft worth several lakhs of rupees had taken place at his house last Sunday, which is why he had come home,” he said.
Police officials said Tiwari’s wife was sleeping in a separate room at the time of the incident. She has been taken to the police station for questioning as part of the investigation. The couple’s two adult children, who live outside the village, have been informed and are travelling home.
Rajesh Roshan, the station house officer of Chandi police station, said the nature of the injuries and the missing thumb suggested a possible conspiracy, though no conclusion had been reached. “The investigation is ongoing, and all angles are being examined,” he said.
Senior police officer Ranjit Kumar confirmed that the killing took place late at night and said efforts were underway to establish the motive and identify those responsible.
