The driver of a Dehri Municipal Council executive officer has been arrested for allegedly bludgeoning his employer to death with an iron rod in Bihar’s Aurangabad district, with police claiming the murder was fuelled by mounting resentment over excessive workload and repeated denial of leave.
The driver of a Dehri Municipal Council executive officer has been arrested for allegedly bludgeoning his employer to death with an iron rod in Bihar’s Aurangabad district, with police claiming the murder was fuelled by mounting resentment over excessive workload and repeated denial of leave. The victim, Vimal Kumar, a native of Sherghati in Gaya district, was serving as the executive officer of the Dehri Municipal Council.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Magadh Range Inspector General (IG) Vikas Vaibhav said the accused, Mithilesh Kumar, confessed to the murder during sustained interrogation.
According to police, Vimal Kumar was travelling from Dehri to Patna in his official vehicle on Saturday evening after attending a function. His family resides in Patna.
The vehicle halted near Dehra Lock under the jurisdiction of Barun police station, where the officer was allegedly attacked and killed at a secluded location.
The driver’s phone call to the victim’s wife and others led police to the spot, where Kumar’s body was recovered bearing multiple grievous assault injuries.
However, officers soon grew suspicious after finding contradictions in the driver’s account of the incident. He was detained for questioning, during which he allegedly admitted that prolonged frustration over an overwhelming workload and repeated rejection of his leave requests had triggered frequent confrontations with the executive officer.
Police said another heated argument erupted during the journey to Patna. The accused allegedly stopped the vehicle on the pretext of a break, picked up an iron rod kept inside the vehicle and repeatedly assaulted Kumar before throwing the weapon into a nearby canal.
Acting on his disclosure, police recovered the iron rod believed to have been used in the murder.
The accused, Mithilesh Kumar, a resident of Suara Kauwa Khonch locality under Dehri police station in Rohtas district, was subsequently arrested.
An FIR has been registered at Barun police station based on the complaint filed by the victim’s wife, Babita Kumari. In her statement, she alleged that the driver frequently misbehaved with her husband and had previously been warned that disciplinary action, including removal from service, could be initiated against him.
She further claimed that the murder stemmed from the driver’s resentment over the proposed action. Police said further investigation into the case is underway.