Tea-stall couple shot dead in Naugachhia; two-and-a-half-year-old girl missing for two days

A couple who ran a tea and snack shop were shot dead in the Hatiya area under Ismailpur police station limits in Bihar's Naugachhia police district, sending shock through the area. Armed assailants killed them in the early hours of Thursday. The victims have been identified as Ranjan and Kiran Devi. They were reportedly asleep at the time.

According to the information available, Ranjan and his wife Kiran Devi were fast asleep in their shop when unidentified armed men arrived in the early hours. They first fired indiscriminately at Ranjan. Seeing her husband shot, Kiran Devi ran screaming to save her life. The attackers chased her, caught her and shot her twice in the eye from point-blank range. Both husband and wife died on the spot.

Another serious development has complicated the case. The couple's two-and-a-half-year-old girl, Pallavi Kumari, has reportedly been missing under mysterious circumstances for the past two days. The child is the daughter of the late Ranjan's brother and lived with the family. Villagers allege that the family had informed the police about the child's disappearance earlier, but the police did not act properly. Two members of the same family have now been killed, and there is deep anger among the people. Police are investigating closely whether there is any link between the child's disappearance and the killings.

Police teams from Ismailpur and Gopalpur police stations reached the spot immediately on receiving news of the incident. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sanyam Raza also visited the scene and took stock of the situation. Angry villagers gathered there questioned the police's handling of the matter and demanded the immediate arrest of the killers. They initially put up strong resistance to the removal of the bodies.

Later, senior police officers assured them that all the accused would be arrested soon and that the missing child would be traced. The villagers then calmed down. The real motive for the killings is not yet clear and police are investigating every angle. Special teams have been formed to trace the assailants, and are searching for them on the basis of CCTV footage in the area and other evidence.