Gangster shoots priest, lynched

A gangster shot down a priest before being lynched in Gaya town in Bihar, police said today.

Babua Pahari, a notorious gangster involved in several cases of murder, loot and extortion, forced his way into the house of a prominent priest of Gaya town, Gopal Lal Sijwar, and shot dead Baua Dhokli, another priest, last night. Gopal Lal Sijwar is said to have a long association with the former Nepalese royal family.

In a case of retributive justice, a crowd that had assembled at Sijwar's house for Guru Purnima, overpowered Pahari and beat him to death, sources said.

Pahari, according to sources, had made repeated extortion demands on Sijwar, who had refused to succumb to the threats.

A case has been registered against both the slain gangster and unknown persons involved in his lynching, a source said, adding investigations had begun.