Absconding independent MLA from Mokama in Bihar Anant Singh surrendered in a court in Delhi on Friday.
He has been absconding from his official residence in Patna from August 17 after an AK 47 rifle, 26 cartridges and two bombs were recovered from his ancestral home at Ladma under the Barh police station of Patna district on August 16.
The police raided his Patna residence late on August 17 night but he was found missing.
The police lodged a case against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Arms and Explosives Act. Later, a Patna court declared him an absconder and the police issued a look- out notice against him.
Altogether 11 teams of the Patna police, led by Superintendent of Police (Rural) Kantesh Kumar Mishra and SDPO Barh Lipi Singh, were formed to arrest him.
Release of videos
Meanwhile, the MLA started releasing videos at regular intervals to say he was not absconding and would surrender in court. In the latest video released on Thursday night, he said he had come to Delhi to see one of his ailing friends and since he had faith in judiciary he would surrender in a court and “not before the Patna police”.
Hours later, on Friday, he surrendered before a metropolitan magistrate in Saket, Delhi.
“Now the Patna police will send a team of officials to Delhi to bring the MLA to the State”, said a senior police official involved in the arrest operation.
Mr. Singh is known in Mokama and Barh as “c hhote sarkar (mini government)” for his muscle power. He has been elected three times from Mokama. He was close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and represented Mokama as JD(U) MLA twice in 2005 and 2010. In 2015, when Mr. Kumar joined hands with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Mr Singh was denied a ticket but he contested as an Independent and won the poll.
In the last Lok Sabha election, his wife Nilam Devi contested unsuccessfully against senior JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranajn Singh alias Lalan Singh. He won the poll by more than 1.5 lakh votes.
“Ever since my wife contested against Lalan Singh, he connived with an another senior party leader whose daughter is Barh SDPO Ms Lipi Singh, to send me to jail”, Mr. Singh alleged in one of his videos that went viral on social media.
