PATNA: A young couple who eloped in 2021 and returned home were shot dead along with their one-year-old daughter on Tuesday evening, hours after they met the 23-year-old man’s parents and were on their way to their new house about 2 km away.

The incident took place at about 4:30pm in Nawtolia village under Gopalpur police station of Bihar’s Nawgachhia police district.

Nawgachhia superintendent of police (SP) Sushant Kumar Saroj said the woman, Chandni Kumari’s father and brother, were the prime suspects. “Chandni Kumar’s father Pappu Singh, and her brother, Dhiraj Kumar, intercepted them when they were on the outskirts of Nawtolia village to their new house, thrashed them with an iron rod and then shot them, one by one.

Chandni, 21, her husband Chandan Kumar Singh, 23, and their daughter died on the spot.

Chandni and Chandan were from the same caste. A police officer said their families, however, had been against their wedding because they were also from the same village and neighbours and was considered inappropriate.

By the time they eloped in 2021, police said, they had been in a relationship for four years.

Police said Chandan Kumar Singh’s family appeared to have opened up to the idea of reconciling with their marriage. But Chandni’s family made it clear that they did not want her anywhere close.

The SP said the couple had spoken to local police officers about the threat to their lives from Chandni’s family and had been told that this was not the right time. They nevertheless decided to visit without keeping the local police in the loop.

Multiple teams have been formed to arrest Pappu Singh and his son, the district police chief said after visiting the spot where the three were shot dead. Forensic teams have also collected the samples from the spot and additional forces have been deployed to maintain peace.