Patna: A 32-year-old RTI activist Pankaj Kumar, who went missing on Friday, was found dead with bullet-riddled body near the bank of Sone river in Patna on Saturday, Kumar has been identified as a resident of Janpara village in rural Patna

According to the reports, police officials said that Kumar’s body was spotted early on Saturday by some passersby. He reportedly suffered head injuries and had bled out. A team of forensic experts, along with a dog squad, also visited the spot.

City Superintendent of Police (west) Ashok Mishra said the police were investigating the case from every angle, including the possibility of an enmity. A probe has been launched to nab the unidentified accused. However, social activists and Kumar’s peers suspect the role of sand mafia in the murder.

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Residents of the Janpara village pointed at involvement of the sand mafia , saying Kumar uncovered huge irregularities in the sand mining trade in the state and had initiated a massive movement against the sand mafia in Paliganj sub-division through social media, which brought into the limelight the nexus between corrupt officials and sand mafia.

Bihar-based RTI activist Shiv Prakash Rai said that over 16 RTI activists had been killed in the state over the past 11 years and that the government and the police were of no help despite several pleas.