Kumar Rajiv Nayan
Ara : Bhojpur police on March 1, 2022, Videshi Rai alias Amrish Rai, allegedly a sand mafia, in connection with a double murder case and sent him to jail after interrogation. Over one and half a dozen criminal cases are pending against him with different police stations.
Two persons were killed on January 21, 2022, late evening, in an exchange of fire in between two groups on the sand ghats at Kamaluchak Sand Ghat at Rajapur under Koelwar police station (PS) in Bhojpur District in South Bihar. The deceased were identified as Durgesh, 34, son of Khedu of Belbhara village under Maharajganj police station in Kamhariya Kala District in Uttar Pradesh, and Sanjeet Kumar, 40, son of Jagpati Narayan Sharma of Naubatpur under the same police station in Patna District.
Bhojpur SP Vinay Tiwari, talking to mediapersons on March 2, 2022, said that both the deceased belonged to the same group and illegal mining of sand and establishment of supremacy on the sand ghats were the main reason behind the incident. After the twin murder, he formed a police team that, on a tip off, arrested Videshi Rai who had taken shelter at the house of his relatives in the bordering state. He was arrested from Ramgarh District in Jharkhand on March 1, 2022. He was also wanted in the murder of Vijyendra Rai,son of late Ramchandra Rai in Diara area at Semaria village under Koelwar PS on June 29, 2021.
The SP said that a clash between Satyendra Pandey and Videshi Rai groups was going on for quite long time for supremacy over sand ghats and illegal mining of sand in the area though Santyendra Pandey is Ara jail at present.
It may be mentioned here that clash between rival groups is common in Bindagawa, Kamaluchak, Rajapur, Pachrukhia, Mahadevchak, Semaria areas on the bank of river Sone under Koelwar and Barhara police stations in Bhojpur District over sand mining and at least two dozen persons have been killed so far.