Didarganj: A smartphone and a power bank saved Beera Devi on February 5 when criminals shot dead her husband, Brijnathi Singh, at Didarganj with Ak-47 rifles.

Beera Devi (47) was in the SUV with her husband when the family was on their way to Patna from Raghopur in two vehicles. Sources said she had tucked her cellphone and a power bank inside her clothes, which took the bullets and saved her life.

“Two bullets had hit her but failed to pierce through, thanks to the power bank and her cellphone,” said Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj. “Police are trying to record her statement but she is in a state of shock after the incident.”

One of Brijnathi’s sisters-in-law is still admitted at a private hospital in Patna with bullet injuries from the attack, The Telegraph reported.

Brijnathi (50) was an LJP sympathiser with wide political connections and criminal antecedents. His son Rakesh Raushan had lodged an FIR against four persons – Munna Singh, Ranvijay Singh, Sunil Rai and Subodh Rai.

Police have arrested Subodh but are yet to capture the other three. The cops are set to attach the properties of the three absconding accused.

“Munna Singh, who has more than 20 criminal cases against him, has a house in Raghopur’s Fatehpur village,” said another police officer. “We believe he and the other accused will surrender as soon as the police start attaching their properties.”

The cops said that the driver of the SUV and Brijnathi’s guard did not sound very convincing during interrogation.

“It is clearly a planned murder,” SSP Maharaaj said. ” The criminals knew that Brijnathi was on his way to Patna. They also knew the time. The driver and one of his guards fled immediately after the attack started. It raises questions on their credibility. They don’t have proper answers to our questions either.”

Rakesh, who had contested the Assembly elections unsuccessfully against deputy chief minister Tejaswi, maintained that his father was murdered because of political reasons.

“My mother was to contest the panchayat polls and my father had a big role to play in it. This is why he was killed,” Rakesh told The Telegraph.

He claimed the police were not helping them.

” We have been demanding a CBI probe into the matter and the state government should listen to us,” he said.