india

Updated: Aug 07, 2017 15:38 IST

A railway employee who superannuated over a decade back, and his daughter-in-law were murdered, while his son and daughter critically injured after the septuagenarian’s nephew attacked them at Jamalpur in Bihar’s Munger district in the wee hours of Monday.

The police were not clear about the reason for the attack.

Police said the accused, Sattan Hari, 45, a frequent visitor to the house of Jagdish Hari, 70, had come visiting from Patna on Sunday. He even had dinner with Hari’s family and decided to stay the night with them.

However, around 3am, he allegedly slit the throat of Hari and his daughter-in-law Seema Devi, 35, with a sharp knife, leading to their instant death.

Hari’s daughter, Ranjita Devi, and his son, Kiran Kumar, were also critically injured in the attack. Seema Devi’s six-year-old son and six-day-old daughter were, however, spared.

Victim Seema Devi's six-year-old son and six-day-old daughter. ( HT photo )

Ranjita had come over to stay at her father’s house to celebrate ‘Raksha Bandhan’, a Hindu festival, in which women tie a string bracelet called ‘rakhi’ on their brothers’ wrists and pray for their good health and long life. This thread, which represents love means ‘a bond of protection’.

But before she could tie ‘rakhi’ to her brother Kiran Kumar, both of them were battling for their lives at the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), 180 kms away in state capital Patna. The siblings were rushed to the sadar (district) hospital before being referred to the PMCH.

Confirming the incident, Munger superintendent of police Ashish Bharti told HT, “We do not know the reason for the killing, but are clear about the accused, who is absconding. We are investigating the matter and trying to get details.”