JDU MLA's hubby, who escaped from custody, nabbed

Awadhesh Mandal, the absconding husband of JDU MLA Bima Bharti, who escaped from the police station after he was arrested in Purnia on Sunday, was re-arrested along with his three accomplices from Naugachia on Wednesday.

Mandal, who faces more than 100 cases of murder, extortion, loot and kidnap, was earlier arrested on Sunday evening on the charge of threatening eyewitnesses in a murder case in which he is a prime accused. But he escaped from the police station causing huge uproar from the Opposition which charged that the Nitish regime was protecting a history-sheeter since he was the husband of a ruling party legislator.

“Now that Mandal has been arrested, another JDU MLA Sarfaraz Alam should also be brought to book,” demanded senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

Sarfaraz, who is son of former Union minister and RJD MP Md Taslimuddin, has been charged with sexual misconduct with a fellow woman passenger on Guwahati-New Delhi Rajdhani Express which he boarded at Katihar while coming to Patna on Monday.

FIR lodged

Though a formal FIR has been lodged by a Delhi-based businessman against the JDU MLA, the legislator claimed he never travelled in the A-4 coach of the said train.

His version is contrary to the allegation made by the couple travelling on berth number 3 of A-4 coach.

In fact, the coach superintendent has already informed the railway mandarins about the presence of the JDU MLA, who was not a bonafide passenger, in the compartment.