Siwan journalist murder prime suspect Laddan Mian surrenders

PATNA: Azharuddim Beg alias Laddan Mian, the prime suspect and conspirator in the killing of Siwan journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, surrendered to police on Thursday morning.

PATNA: Azharuddim Beg alias Laddan Mian, the prime suspect and conspirator in the killing of Siwan journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, surrendered to police on Thursday morning.

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Laddan, who had been eluding capture since the murder on May 13, was forced to surrender as police sealed district borders and intensified their manhunt, said Saurabh Kumar Sah, Siwan superintendent of police.

Police had been conducting raids across several districts in Bihar and neighbouring UP to catch Laddan. When they produce him in court, police intend on pleading for a 15-day remand to interrogate Laddan and corroborate evidence. Police arrested five people less than a week ago, including one Rohit Kumar, who they claimed confessed to carrying out the murder of Ranjan.

Senior journalist Ranjan was shot dead last month near the Siwan railway station. The 42-year-old was the bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan, a sister concern of Hindustan Times.

Lad dan, who had been released from Siwan jail 15 days before Ranjan’s murder, fled from Siwan with his family just two hours after the crime. He is considered to be a close aide of former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP, Mohammad Shahabuddin, who is currently serving a life sentence for the abduction and murder of two people in 2004.

Sah said police had on Wednesday attached properties of Laddan, leading to three of his sisters moving the chief judicial magistrate court, claiming they had joint claim to the two houses owned by him.

“Their argument needs to be heard before passing of any order,” Laddan’s family lawyer said, presenting a copy of the land registration as evidence.

The court accepted the petition of Laddan’s sisters and sought a report from the circle officer in this regard, putting the attachment orders in abeyance.