Ex-MP Pappu Yadav arrested in 32-yr-old kidnapping case

PATNA: Former MP and Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) chief Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav was arrested from his Patna residence on Tuesday, first for the lockdown violation and then in a 32-year-old kidnapping case registered with Murliganj police station in Madhepura. The court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him for not appearing in the case trial.
Earlier, an FIR was lodged against Pappu in Saran for allegedly damaging several ambulances purchased from the MPLAD fund of Saran MP Rajeev Pratap Rudy lying covered and unused at Amnaur amid the Covid-19 crisis. He was also accused of misbehaving with a few persons there while showing the ambulances.
People on social media, however, are raising questions on the timing of his arrest as he was continuously helping the families affected by the Covid pandemic and exposing the severe shortcomings of the state government in handling the crisis.
Town DSP Suresh Prasad, along with the SHOs and police personnel of three police stations, had reached his residence to arrest him. The FIR was lodged by a magistrate deputed at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) by the district administration after Pappu visited there with his 15-20 supporters.
However, he was set free in the case from the police station on a personal bond that he would appear before police whenever required in the course of investigation in the case.
City SP (central) Vinay Tiwari said the FIR was registered under relevant sections of The Epidemic Diseases Act and The Disaster Management Act.
Patna SSP Upendra Kumar Sharma said while Pappu was in their custody, Madhepura SP sent a letter around 9.30am that he is to be arrested in a case as per the court order. “He was served a notice as per law and set free in connection with the Pirbahore case. But we kept him detained after getting the Madhepura SP’s letter. Later, a Madhepura police team took Pappu away,” he said, adding he was requested several times not to move without a valid pass.
Madhepura SP Yogendra Kumar said an ACJM court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Pappu in September last year as he was not appearing in a trial of a kidnapping case registered with Murliganj police station in 1989.
“In March, the court ordered to attach his property at Khurda village under Kumarkhand police station area of Madhepura in the case in which he was arrested on Tuesday,” Kumar said. He said the police team is yet to return with Pappu.
The SP said 12 persons, including Pappu, are accused of kidnapping a youth. The FIR was lodged by his father.
“Police had already filed the chargesheet against all the accused in the case,” he said. The SP said Pappu would be produced before a court, which will decide further legal course of action.