BHOJPUR POLICE ARREST 12 PERSONS INCLUDING TWO WOMEN IN MURDER OF MANTOO SONAR

Ara, 30 November 2022, (RNI): Motorcycle borne six unidentified armed miscreants shot dead former Chairperson, Shahpur Nagar Panchayat cum outgoing Ward Councilor Ward No 10, Vashishth Prasad alias Mantoo Sonar when he was sitting in a hotel beside his house at Shahpur under the same police station in Bhojpur district. Old enmity is said to be the cause behind the incident. He was husband of outgoing Ward Councilor Jugnu Devi. Irate villagers blocked the Ara-Buxar main road for about 42 hours with the body and paralyzed movement of traffic. They raised slogans against the district administration and demanded immediate arrest of miscreants. The blockade was lifted after positive response of police officials and the family members performed the last rites at Charitravan in Buxar district in the evening on November 29, 2022. An FIR has been lodged with the police under Shahpur police station in this regard against 13 named and 17 unnamed persons. Police are investigating the matter and also conducting raids to arrest the miscreants. Meanwhile Police took Kiran Devi wife of Pramod Gupta of Nai Bazaar in Buxar district, Asha Devi alias Asani wife of Santosh Sah of Navanagar under the same police station in Buxar district beside over a dozen persons under custody for interrogation in this regard.

SHO Shahpur police station said that Vashishth Prasad alias Mantoo Sonar was sitting in a hut like hotel and chatting with his friends beside his house at Shahpur Bazaar under Shahpur police station when motorcycle borne armed miscreants pumped five bullets into his body and escaped from the scene and fled towards Ara. He was rushed to the Shahpur Referral Hospital but the doctor referred him to the Ara Sadar Hospital but he succumbed to his injuries on way to the Ara Sadar Hospital. The miscreants had recced for days before committing crime.

 Bhojpur SP Sanjay Kumar Singh along with SDPO, Jagdishpur and the ASP Himanshu rushed to the hospital. The SP also went to the Shahpur police station and took firsthand information. He formed a police team and directed the SHO, Shahpur police station arrest the miscreants at the earliest. The police are looking into the CCTV footage also to locate the miscreants. Police are also searching the CDR of the mobile of the deceased.

The SP stated that a hotel was opened beside the house of Mantoo Sonar a fortnight ago where he used to sit. He said that the local shopkeepers and the hotel owner told him that two armed miscreants killed Mantoo Sonar. He added that some armed miscreants had shot at and injured Mantoo Sonar two months ago at Shahpur Bazaar under Shahpur police station and was admitted to a hospital in Patna. He had returned from the hospital some days ago. He had lodged a named FIR against half a dozen persons with the police under Shahpur police station in this regard and the miscreants were arrested and sent to jail. He suspected that the murder of Mantoo Sonar was retaliation of that incident. He further said that Mantoo Sonhar had demanded security for himself and applied for bodyguard after the incident but the process delayed the action and in the meantime, he was killed.

After the names of inmates of Ara jail came forward in connection with murder of Mantoo Sonar, Bhojpur DM Raj Kumar and the SP Sanjay Kumar Singh along with heavy police force raided the Ara jail that continued for about six hours. They searched each and every ward in the Ara jail and seized eight mobiles, five SIMs, four chargers, one scissors, Rs. 15000 in cash, tobacco and other objectionable items. An FIR has been lodged with the police under Ara town police station in this regard.

Chhotan Sonar, brother of the deceased blamed that Vidya Sagar Gupta, Sanjay Gupta, Ajay Gupt, Nikki Singh, Arjun Dhanu and Gulshan Gupta came on two motorcycles and pumped five bullets into the body of Mantoo Sonar and killed him. He also said that these named accused and some others such as Deepak, Binod Dhanuk, Rishabh Sonar who are languishing in Ara jail dealt in drugs and Mantoo Sonar always protested and so they killed him. He said that security was demanded but the district administration did not provid. Had the police take action on time, murder of his brother could have been avoided.

It is said that Mantoo Sonar was accused of double murder. Some armed miscreants had shot dead a sweetmeat owner Jyoti Kumar Gupta alias Manjhil and his employee Chhote Mahato on December 17, 2020 near Shahpur Mathia at Shahpur under the same police station. Seven persons including Mantoo Sonar and his father Kapil Deo Sharma were made named accused. The police had arrested Kapil Deo Sharma and sent him to jail.

Mantoo Sonar had started his political career in the year 2012 and he successfully contested Ward Councilor election from Ward No 10 and even his wife Jugnu Devi also contested Ward Councilor election successfully from Ward No 9 on September 7, 2021. No confidence motion was passed against Mantoo Sonar after two years in the year 2019.

Meanwhile, a team of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) from Patna reached the incident site and collected evidences and returned to Patna.