Updated
Latehar (Jharkhand), Mar 19 (PTI): Five persons were arrested today in connection with the killing of two persons, who were found hanging from a tree in the district's Balumath area where prohibitory orders has been clamped.
"Five persons were arrested and search is on for three others," Latehar Superintendent of Police Anoop Birtharay told reporters.
A 32-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy were found hanging from a tree at Jhabbar village under Balumath police station yesterday.
The two had left their homes with animals for Tutilawa village in neighbouring Chatra district for the animal fair when the incident took place.
The SP said they were killed and then the bodies were hung from a tree to make it look like a suicide case.
The motive behind the killing was to loot their animals, he said.
The arrested persons were identified as Mithilesh Prasad Sahu, Pramod Sahu, Manoj Kumar Sahu, Manoj Sahu (same name) and Audhesh Sao, all of whom belong to Latehar district.
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders under section CrPC 144 has been clamped in the areas under Balumath police station.
The incident had triggered violence, leaving a sub-divisional officer and six policemen injured.
Earlier Update
Jharkhand: Tension grips village as bodies of two cattle traders found hanging from tree
Latehar, Mar 19 (HT): Tension gripped Balumath in Jharkhand after two dead bodies, including one of a minor boy, were found hanging from a tree on Balumath-Herhanj road on Friday morning. One of the deceased was a cattle trader and the minor boy was the son of another cattle trader.
The victims were identified as Mazlum Ansari (32), a resident of Dumar Tola and Imteyaz Khan (13) son of Azad Khan, a resident of Arahara village. Both hailed from Herhanj police station in Latehar.
Villagers, who suspect people opposed to trading of cattle to be behind the double murder, blocked the Balumath-Chatra road with the dead bodies for more than three hours demanding action against the culprits.
Tempers flared and the situation turned violent as police tried to take the bodies for post-mortem, after efforts to persuade the protestors failed. The mob pelted stones, and the police responded with lathi-charge and fired in the air to disperse the crowd.
Several people, including sub-divisional magistrate Kamleshwar Narayan and assistant sub-inspector Shyamdev Mishra, were injured in the melee.
Family of the deceased said the two had left their homes on Friday with 10-12 cows and oxen to sell at the annual cattle fair at Tutilawa, under the Simaria police station in Chatra district. “We had lost telephonic contract with them around four in the morning and later we came to know about their murder,” one of the relatives told the police.
“The bodies were hanging on a tree...and their faces were covered with towels,” an eyewitness said.
Security forces were brought in to prevent further clashes. The Latehar superintendent of police, Anoop Birtharay, and deputy commissioner Ravishankar Shukla too were in Balumath on Friday to keep a tab on the situation, as the region has a history of communal violence.
Hindus and Muslims in the area had clashed over issues relating to consumption of beef three months ago.
The administration has been vigilant in Balumath since “save cow campaign” began in Jharkhand two years ago.
Birtharay, however, assured the situation was under control.
The district administration called a meeting of village elders in the evening to ensure peace in the area.