BETTIAH, May 29 -- A group of villagers on Tuesday evening manhandled police personnel who had gone to arrest the husband of a village head in a criminal case, and managed to secure his release from police custody in East Champaran, police said on Wednesday. Station House Officer (SHO) Jitendra Kumar and eight other policemen from Kalyanpur police station were assaulted by a large group of villagers during a raid in Mananpur village under Kalyanpur block. The police team had received a tip-off about the presence of Vijay Sah, husband of the village head (Mukhiya) of Siswa panchayat, who is wanted in connection with the theft of an SUV. "We had definite information about his presence. Just when the police was about to apprehend Sah, around 80 people, including his family members, attacked the team and forcibly freed him from custody," said Sunny Kumar Pathak, sub-inspector at Kalyanpur police station. Superintendent of Police (SP), East Champaran, Swarn Prabhat, confirmed that no injuries were reported among the police team. "Sah is an active member of a vehicle theft gang involved in stealing vehicles like Bolero and Scorpio. He is wanted in multiple cases. The Mukhiya, with help from her supporters, aided in his escape," he said. However, under mounting pressure, Sah surrendered at the SP's office on Wednesday, the police added. Following the incident, police registered a case against 23 named individuals and 50-60 unidentified persons....