Araria: A police officer died under suspicious circumstances during a raid in Araria district, Bihar, triggering a stir in the region. ASI Rajiv Ranjan Mal, posted at Fulkaha police station, collapsed and died during a scuffle when police attempted to arrest a notorious ganja smuggler at a wedding ceremony.
According to police sources, the raid was conducted late at night in Laxmipur, under the Fulkaha police station area, after reports that Anmol Yadav, a known smuggler, was present at the event. The wedding was for the daughter of Posdaha Panchayat Mukhiya Kanchan Devi. When police arrested Yadav, his supporters attacked the team and managed to free him from custody. In the chaos, ASI Mal collapsed and was later declared dead at the hospital.
Mal, a resident of Munger, had joined the police force in 2007. His body has been sent for postmortem at Sadar Hospital, Araria. While local police officers were present at the hospital, no senior officials initially arrived. Later, SP Anjani Kumar reached the scene and denied reports that Mal was beaten to death.
“The police received information that criminal Anmol Yadav was at the wedding. When our team arrested him, his associates attacked and freed him. In the scuffle, ASI Mal collapsed and later died in hospital,” said Kumar.
Meanwhile, police detained Mukhiya’s husband, Subhash Yadav, and several others following the incident. Investigations are ongoing.
