For nine days, nearly a dozen special teams of Madhubani police had been hunting one of their own.On November 2, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Chandra Mohan Singh, had allegedly shot four villagers with his service revolver, killing one of them, before fleeing the spot. The scene of crime: The house of a local woman he had entered following which villagers had gathered around to confront him.The search for Singh had stretched beyond the district, into other parts of the state and even across the international border into Nepal.Then, on Thursday night, police received an alert from the very area where the search had begun. An unidentified body was lying in an open field in Madhubani, a strong stench emanating from it. The face was beyond recognition.A police team rushed to the spot, followed by forensic science laboratory (FSL) officials. Even as the area was cordoned off, a crowd gathered around, many holding up their mobile phones with flashlights on.“Wahi hai, wahi hai (It’s him, unmistakably),” some voices could be heard saying in a video from the scene. Beside the body lay a blue bag. Investigators began pulling out its contents — clothes, a laptop, a keyboard, a mobile phone, an Aadhaar card and other documents.Also Read | Out on a drug bust, Bihar cop was cornered by locals. 2 days later, body found in riverMadhubani Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Yogendra Kumar confirmed that the body was that of the absconding ASI.Story continues below this ad“There is no doubt about the identity of the deceased… All these belongings establish that the body is that of the wanted ASI: Chandra Mohan Singh,” Kumar said.There was more to be discovered, though. As investigators turned the body over, they found Singh’s service pistol underneath it, the SSP said. This is the same weapon that was allegedly used in the November 2 shooting. “The FSL team has collected and seized all relevant samples from the spot, including the service pistol, for examination,” said SSP Kumar.Though the recovery has brought the nine-day manhunt to an unexpected end, it has left police with a more pressing question: How did the suspended officer die?Police are not yet drawing conclusions about the cause of death.Story continues below this ad“The body was subjected to a formal inquest in the presence of a magistrate. A medical board, comprising three doctors, would conduct the postmortem, with the entire procedure videographed,” the SSP said.“Only after we receive all three reports — inquest findings, postmortem report and ballistic examination of the recovered pistol — will we be in a position to clearly establish the cause of death,” he added.The night that triggered the manhuntSingh had been posted at a police picket in a village in Madhubani.According to the FIR lodged in the case, a police team was alerted around 11.53 pm on November 2 about an officer being held inside a house in the village.Story continues below this adWhen the responding team reached the village, it found four people, including a woman, injured in a firing incident. Villagers told the police that Singh had entered a woman’s house and was subsequently confined there by the residents.As he allegedly attempted to escape through a window, villagers gathered outside to stop him. Singh then allegedly opened fire with his service pistol, firing four to five rounds at the people surrounding the house, the FIR stated.Also Read | Explained in graphics: The Express investigation on drugs in BiharOne of the men, aged around 50, later succumbed to his injuries. The other three injured included a woman.An FIR was then registered, invoking provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to murder and attempt to murder, besides the Arms Act.Story continues below this adA second FIR was lodged on November 4 by the wife of the deceased villager. She alleged that she had stepped out to use the toilet when she noticed a man entering a neighbour’s house. She then alerted her husband and went with him to the spot to look into the matter.The couple allegedly found Singh inside the house. They raised an alarm and shut the door from outside, following which other villagers gathered.After firing at the villagers, Singh allegedly escaped through the window while continuing to fire, the complainant alleged.The second FIR also recorded a separate allegation made by the woman whose house Singh had entered. According to the complaint filed by the wife of the deceased, the woman told villagers that Singh had attempted to molest her at gunpoint. This went against the police’s initial theory that Singh was in an illicit relationship with the woman.Story continues below this adThe second case invoked additional BNS provisions relating to sexual harassment and assault, apart from the charges of murder, attempt to murder and offences under the Arms Act.In the aftermath of the shooting, Singh was suspended with immediate effect, and proceedings for his dismissal from service were initiated. Police registered the murder case and constituted special teams to trace him.As many as 12 special teams were formed with raids being conducted at suspected hideouts outside the district and in other parts of the state, as well as in areas bordering Nepal.SSP Kumar had announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for credible information leading to Singh’s arrest. With the officer continuing to evade the police, a proposal to increase the reward to Rs 3 lakh had also been sent out. However, shortly after that, the body was recovered.