At least four police personnel, including a sub-inspector, were seriously injured during a violent attack by villagers in Lakdakol village under the Pirpainti police station area of Bhagalpur district on Friday night.
The police team was attacked while acting on information related to a kidnapping case.
The incident unfolded when Sub-Inspector Devguru of Kahalgaon police station, accompanied by four constables in civil dress, reached the village in a private car for a raid.
According to police, they were tracking the location of a mobile phone number linked to the alleged kidnapping of Vijay Bhagat, a resident of Sanhaula.
As soon as the team arrived, villagers mistook the plainclothes police officers for criminals and attacked them.
SI Devguru suffered a severe head injury while trying to escape and was later admitted in critical condition to Jeevan Jyoti Hospital, Kahalgaon NTPC.
On receiving information about the attack, another team led by SI Shatrughan Kumar, NTPC SHO Sushil Kumar, and SDPO Kalyan Anand rushed to the scene.
However, they too faced stone pelting and mob violence, forcing them to flee the area, leaving behind their shoes and damaged vehicles.
SHO Sushil Kumar sustained a hand injury, while two other policemen were also hurt.
The entire police operation was connected to the kidnapping of Vijay Bhagat, who had been abducted on Friday morning from Sabour market while en route to Bhagalpur.
His family had lodged a kidnapping complaint at Sanhaula police station, and later received a threat call demanding ransom to the tune of Rs 40 lakh for his release. The police team traced the mobile location at Lakdakol village.
A joint team from Kahalgaon, NTPC, and Sanhaula police stations was formed under the leadership of SDPO Kalyan Anand.
The initial team, led by SI Devguru, which included the victim’s family, was attacked by villagers, followed by violence against the second reinforcement team.
Police confirmed that the kidnapped youth, Vijay Bhagat, was rescued safely, though the main accused, Rajesh Yadav, managed to flee during the chaos.
SDPO Kalyan Anand stated, “We have so far identified 10-12 individuals, and are working to identify another 40-50 villagers involved in the attack.”
“Further investigation and legal action are underway,” he added.
