KHUNTI: A local BJP leader was shot dead by unidentified assailants, one of whom was caught and lynched by the locals in Darla village of Khunti district, the police said today.
Rajendra Mahato (42) was gunned down near his residence last night allegedly by three persons when he refused to come along with them, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ranveer Singh said.
The villagers caught hold of one of them and lynched him, he said, adding that the two other assailants managed to flee.
Shortly before his killing, Mahato was abducted by nine people but he had managed to escape from their clutches and return home, Singh said.
BJP's Khunti district president Kashinath Mahato said Rajendra Mahato was the president of the party's Darla Booth Committee as well as the treasurer of Murhu block's farmers' and OBC units.
The identity of the culprits and the motive behind the killing were yet to be ascertained, the police said.
Singh said the police recovered two pistols -- one from the spot and another from the possession of the lynched assailant -- and a motorcycle used in the crime.
An investigation into the incident was underway and both the bodies were sent for post-mortem, he added.