Prime accused in Bihar RJD leader's murder arrested in Kollam

Kollam: A native of Bihar, wanted in connection with the murder of a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Baidyanath Mahto was arrested in Kollam. The accused, described by Bihar Police as a hardened criminal, was arrested by Kollam East Police from Chamakkada.

The arrested man was identified as Mohammed Ajaj Ahmed (32), a native of Sitamarhi district in Bihar. He was wanted in 11 criminal cases registered at various police stations in the state. The Bihar government had announced a reward of ₹50,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Ajaj is one of the prime accused in the murder of Mahto, a former member of the Sitamarhi Zilla Parishad. Mahto was shot dead on September 12 while out for his morning walk in Dumra in Sitamarhi district. The prime accused, Tribhuvan, was arrested on the day of the incident.

Ajaj, who has been living in Kerala since 2016, was working as a driver in Kollam. However, Bihar Police said he frequently travelled to his home state and was allegedly involved in criminal activities there.

He is also an accused in a 2020 case where a woman was shot dead during an attempted robbery. He has been named as an accused in various cases since 2012.

An investigation by the Bihar Intelligence Department to trace Ajaj revealed that he was in Kerala. Subsequently, a police team led by Sub-Inspector Ramayan Kumar arrived in the state 10 days ago.

With the assistance of Kollam East Police, the team tracked down Ajaj, who was living in hiding in Chamakkada, and arrested him. He was produced before a court and handed over to the custody of Bihar Police.