Hazaribag: Five men, including two who are undergoing treatment, were arrested on Saturday after police found that their claim of being shot by unidentified motorcycle-borne criminals near Pagar village in Keredari police station area in the district was fabricated.Barkagaon SDPO Amit Anand said the men had gathered at Narjorwa Tand football ground on the night of Oct 22 allegedly to plan criminal activities in mining areas. During the meeting, an illegal pistol accidentally went off, injuring two of them.The injured — Rupalal Mahto (20) and Ramesh Kumar Mahto (22) — are being treated at Sadar Hospital, Hazaribag.ASP Amit Kumar said the group was allegedly planning to create panic by firing shots and extort money in mining areas. Sachin Kumar Mahto allegedly fired the pistol during the gathering. Later, when Rupalal handled the weapon, another round went off. The bullet grazed Rupalal’s left palm before hitting Ramesh in the right thigh.Police said the accused initially claimed that unidentified motorcycle-borne criminals had fired at them near Patra bridge. However, inconsistencies in their statements led investigators to examine their mobile phones, where they allegedly found a video showing the group displaying and firing the weapon.The other arrested accused have been identified as Sachin Kumar Mahto (22); Anoj Kumar Mahto (22); Shivlal Kumar Mahto (21).Police recovered a pistol with a magazine, two live cartridges, two empty 7.65mm cartridge cases, three mobile phones, a pen drive containing the firing video, and two motorcycles.A case has been registered at Pagar outpost under relevant sections of BNS and the Arms Act.
