Palamu woman shot dead over land row

Daltonganj: A woman (52) was shot dead in her sleep at Baghmara village on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, police said.

Chhaterpur SDPO Awadh Kishore Yadav said, "The deceased woman was identified as Bimla Devi from the maha dalit Bhuiyan caste. She was sleeping in front of her home located under the Chhaterpur police station limits when she was shot. The bullet went through her ear. Two empty cartridges were recovered by police from the scene. One bullet might have missed the victim."

"The husband of the deceased, Hari Bhuiyan, was in an inebriated condition and sleeping on another cot placed nearby. He discovered the incident on Saturday morning and alerted the police. They were involved in a dispute over a piece of land with their extended family members, Hari told police," the SDPO added.

Civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar said, "The body was sent to the Medinirai Medical College and Hospital (MMCH), Daltonganj, located 58 km away from the scene of the murder, for post-mortem examination as the Chhaterpur sub-divisional hospital lacks autopsy facility."