Ramgarh: Seven members of a family, including four women and two elderly persons, were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the murder of Jharkhand Administrative Service (JAS) officer Baleshwar Patel over a land dispute in Ramgarh district on Tuesday.The accused were identified as Santosh Kumar Sao, 35, his wife, Rubi Kumari, 30, his father, Ramu Sao, 72, and mother, Shakuntala Devi, 60 . The other accused are Santosh’s extended family members Vinay Kumar, 24, Puja Kumari, 36, and Laxmi Devi alias Dolly Kumari, 25.Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, Ramgarh SP Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said the accused were arrested after Mandu police registered a case under relevant sections of BNS.“All have been sent to judicial custody,” the SP said. Police also seized a blood-stained brick and a bamboo stick believed to have been used in the assault.Patel, 53, was posted as a sub-registrar in Giridih district. He came to his ancestral village on leave and visited an 11-decimal plot at Balsagra (Raboth) village on Tuesday. Police said that Patel purchased the land from the Sao family, but another section of the family objected to the transaction, leading to a violent confrontation.Patel was allegedly attacked with bamboo sticks and bricks, sustaining grievous injuries. He was rushed to a private hospital in Ramgarh, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The accused in police custody
