PATNA: Police in Bihar's Saran district on Friday arrested seven persons on charges of lynching a 55-year-old truck driver on suspicion of transporting beef in his vehicle on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Zahiruddin, a resident of Majhwalia village in Saran district.
Saran superintendent of police Gaurav Mangla said that the injured driver was rushed to a nearby hospital where the doctor declared him 'brought dead'.
Doctors suspected internal injury to be the primary cause of his death.
The police arrested seven persons in connection with the case. The accused have been identified as Vishal Kumar Singh alias Vivek Singh, Mohit Kumar Singh, Pawan Kumar Singh, Prince Kumar Singh, Rishu Kumar Singh and Prabhat Kumar.
They were in the age group of 19-25 years. They were booked under sections 302 (murder), 342 (wrongful confinement), 147 & 148 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of Indian Penal Code.
SP Mangla said that while six persons have been named as accused, 20-25 others were unidentified.
“Raids were on to arrest others involved in the incident,” he told this reporter over phone on Friday.
Police investigation revealed that Zahiruddin used to transport bones to a licensed Mathura based factory using bones for medicinal purposes.
“There was nothing unusual in it,” an investigating officer said.
The police later contacted the owner of the factory Mohammad Haider, who alleged that the driver was thrashed in front of the police personnel, a charge denied by Saran district police officials. He revealed to the police that the deceased driver was transporting bones for his industrial unit.
Cattle bones are used to make gelatine for the pharmaceutical industry. Gelatine is used to make capsules and also in cosmetics, health supplements and some other medicinal products.