By IANS,
Patna : Police have announced a cash reward of Rs.1,000 each for information about the bodies found missing from graves in Bihar’s Araria district, an official said.
The announcement came after bodies of about 50 people killed in various lightning incidents were found to have been exhumed from graves in Raniganj and Simraha areas of Araria, about 350 km from here.
“We are serious about helping people whose kins’ bodies are missing from their graves,” Superintendent of Police S.W. Lande told IANS.
The appeal has been made to help police ascertain the total number of missing bodies, he said.
Lande said that a gang involved in secretly digging up graves was busted recently. “The gang was involved in selling human organs for medical research in Nepal, China and other countries.”
“One of the main accused named Mohammad Majid is already in jail in connection with smuggling of tusks,” the police officer said, adding they are on a lookout for two more people in this connection.
“It is really shameful to remove bodies from graves for a few thousand rupees,” Lande said.
According to him, human organs or bodies are sold to medical colleges and those who are involved in clandestine medical research in several countries.
In Araria, most of the deaths due to lightning go unreported owing to religious beliefs, Lande said.