A 30-year-old data entry operator employed at Central Coalfields Ltd’s Amrapali project was allegedly hacked to death inside his CCL quarter in Hazaribag’s Giddi area early Sunday, while his wife was assaulted, robbed and tied up, police said. Investigators are examining the security of the residential colony, which has low boundary walls and no CCTV cameras.
The victim, Mangalesh Pal alias Happy, originally from Ramgarh, lived in the Main Gate area of Giddi with his 26-year-old wife, Sonali Devi. The couple had been married for four years. Their two-and-a-half-year-old son was in Gaya at the time of the incident.
Police said Pal had fractured his leg while playing volleyball outside his house on October 5. After spending around 10 days in hospital, he returned home three days before the killing with his leg in a plaster cast. Investigators believe the attackers may have known about his injury, his movements and the layout of the CCL colony, though police have not established a motive or identified any suspect.
According to the account given by Sonali to investigators, Pal was sitting on a sofa in the front room and using his mobile phone at night when he asked her to open the main door. She then went to sleep in another room. Around 12.30am, two masked men allegedly entered the quarter, attacked Pal and dragged him into an inner room.
When Sonali tried to intervene, the attackers allegedly assaulted her, took her mangalsutra and removed other gold ornaments from a cupboard. She also told police that they tried to strangle her with a mobile phone cable before tying her hands, legs and mouth and fleeing from the house. Police said Pal suffered deep wounds to his head, neck and abdomen, and that his right hand was severed.
The incident came to light in the morning after neighbours heard Sonali allegedly banging on the door with her feet. A local youth, identified as Chhotu, climbed over the boundary wall and opened the gate. Residents freed Sonali and informed the police.
Giddi police station officer in charge Md Iqbal Hussain said investigators were examining all possible angles, including robbery. He said the motive and identities of the attackers would be established after the investigation. A forensic team and dog squad were called to collect evidence from the quarter, while several police teams began raids in Hazaribag and Ramgarh districts.
Police were also told that Pal had received repeated phone calls during the previous two days and appeared worried. According to Sonali, he had said the calls were related to his work. Officers are examining that information as part of the investigation.
Pal’s friend Arvind Saw, who reached the quarter after receiving information about the incident, said the ornaments were scattered near the body and called for a thorough investigation. Police have not announced any arrests or confirmed whether the attack was linked to Pal’s employment. The investigation and raids are continuing.
