Bihar’s Ruling Janata Dal (U) legislator Anant Singh was arrested on Wednesday in a 2014 case of kidnapping and extortion of a builder in Bihita of rural Patna, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vikash Vaibhav said.
Late last night, a court remanded Singh to judicial custody and he was taken to Beur jail in Patna.
The arrest took place a day after a SSP of Patna Jitendra Rana, set to be transferred, disclosed Anant Singh’s involvement in another case of kidnap-murder in his native Ladwa in Barh block of Patna district.
After six hours of search of his official residence, evidence was found related to the June 17 kidnapping of four youths and one of them, Putush Yadav, was later found murdered.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna said that six magazines of Insas rifle and clothes soaked in blood, which would be sent for DNA test, were found.
Outside Sachivalay police station, where he is kept, a large number of his supporters gathered raising slogans.
The issue has become a challenge to Nitish Kumar’s government in Bihar as RJD, ally of JD-U, had also demanded Singh’s arrest.
Party Chief Lalu Prasad made it clear that the government should allow law to take its course after RJD spokesperson Mundrika Singh Yadav demanded arrest of Singh in Barh case.
Prasad had said the matter was an “acid test” for the new Patna SSP Vikash Vaibhav who had a tenure with NIA before coming to the state.
SSP of Patna, Jitendra Rana is set to become SSP of Motihari while SSP Vikash Vaibhav is to take up the Patna assignment.
(With inputs from agencies.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)