Patna: The main accused in the double murder of an army jawan and his father in Banka district was arrested after a gunfight with police early on Monday, barely a day after the killings that were allegedly triggered by a land dispute within the family.Jagdish Rai, who sustained bullet injuries to his legs, was admitted to Banka Sadar Hospital. He is accused of killing his uncle, Munarik Rai (60), and cousin Jitendra Kumar (35), an army jawan, on Sunday morning.After the murders, Jagdish went into hiding. Acting on a tip-off, police arrested him from a hostel in Patna’s Bahadurpur area late on Sunday night.Banka SP Shubhank Mishra said the incident took place while the police team was bringing Jagdish back to the district. “Jagdish snatched an Insas rifle from the police team and jumped out of the moving vehicle. After jumping, he started firing at the police vehicle with the snatched rifle. Two bullets pierced through the vehicle. Police retaliated, and two bullets hit Jagdish Rai in the leg. He fell to the ground and was arrested,” the SP said.Police said the dispute centred on a passage to the house shared by Jagdish and Munarik. Jagdish had allegedly blocked the exit route a few days earlier, prompting Munarik to complain to the police and Dial 112. Although police intervened and Jagdish assured them that he would remove the obstruction, he failed to do so.According to locals, tensions escalated after Jitendra returned home. On the night of July 11, Jagdish and Munarik allegedly had a heated argument during which Jagdish threatened to kill his uncle.
