Patna police have claimed to have solved the abduction and murder of 25-year-old Bunty Yadav, with the arrest of five accused. According to investigators, the crime allegedly stemmed from a dispute over sharing proceeds from an alleged illicit liquor trade. The case had stirred a political row, with opposition leaders attacking the BJP-led Bihar government over the murder.
The opposition had accused the administration of shielding criminals and failing to act despite evidence. Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav had alleged that Bunty was abducted near Patna Junction after he opposed an alleged sex racket operating in the Karbigahiya area. However, police have denied any links to a sex racket. Tejashwi further alleged that despite CCTV footage of the incident, the police failed to trace the victim and instead reprimanded his family.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to investigate the case, with four specialised teams handling investigation, technical analysis, CCTV footage, call data and social media analysis, and raids. The FIR was registered on a complaint by Kiran Devi, Bunty’s mother, who alleged that her son was assaulted and abducted by Ravish Kumar alias BC, Rohit Kumar and six to seven unidentified persons near the Patna Junction milk market.
The police arrested Rohit Kumar, Bajrangi Kumar, and Ravi Kumar on July 7. Bunty’s body was recovered on July 11 from a field beneath the four-lane road in Athmalgola, where it had been buried under soil. Two more people, Roshan Kumar and Ajit Kumar Sahni, were arrested on July 13, with police recovering three mobile phones and Rs 28,000 in cash.
According to police, the motive behind the murder was a dispute over the demand for a share in earnings from the illegal liquor business. The police alleged that Ravish operated an illicit liquor business with a person identified as Moni Kinnar, bringing liquor from Uttar Pradesh by train for sale in Bihar. Bunty allegedly demanded a share of the illegal earnings, leading to repeated disputes.
The post-mortem found no gunshot injuries or pellets and indicated Bunty was beaten to death with heavy blunt objects. Four police personnel have been suspended for alleged dereliction of duty after failing to notice or respond to the alleged abduction despite being deployed about 100 metres away. The main accused, Ravish Kumar alias BC, remains absconding.
