A mob attacked a police station in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar and torched several vehicles after the death of a teenage boy during a police raid on alleged bootleggers in their area.

Altogether 15 persons have been arrested for indulging in violence and arson.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening when a team from the Garha police station raided Rampur Jaipal village under their jurisdiction and arrested two alleged bootleggers, including one Dharmendra Rai.

Dharmendra’s brother Jitendra Kumar aka Chunmun Rai, 18, became afraid during the raid and tried to run away from the place. According to the police, Chunmun, in all probability, fell into a water-filled ditch and drowned.

The boy’s death came to light a couple of hours after the raid and it infuriated the villagers. They took out his body from the ditch, alleged that the police killed him, and arrived at the Garha police station to demonstrate with the body.

What followed next was complete mayhem. The mob first pelted stones at the police station and then broke into it, thrashing the police personnel present there, and ransacking the barracks. They also freed Dharmendra and the other arrested
person from the lockup.

The angry villagers also torched at least two SUVs, a dozen motorcycles and a police vehicle kept at the police station’s campus. The police personnel fled to save their lives.

“Three things have come to light since Wednesday evening. One was a raid related to the liquor ban. Two persons were arrested in it. The second is the death of Jitendra aka Chunmun. We have taken the statement of his father and are investigating the issue. The third is the law and order situation that occurred here,” Muzaffarpur city superintendent of police Arvind Pratap Singh said.

“We are identifying people involved in the attack on the police station with the help of CCTV footage. Around 30 to 35 people have been identified so far. Raids are being conducted and we have arrested 15 people till now,” Singh added.