The main accused in the killing of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, on Thursday, surrendered before a local court in Siwan. Laddan Mian, who is said to be a close aide of RJD leader and four-time MP from Siwan, Mohammad Shahabuddin, surrendered before the district court of chief judicial magistrate on Thursday morning.
The police had procured an attachment of property order against him from the local Siwan court. Laddan Mian had been released from the Siwan jail just two weeks prior to murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan.
Accused in over three dozen cases and convicted in some cases, Mohammad Shahabuddin was shifted to Bhagalpur jail from Siwan after the murder journalist of Rajdeo Ranjan.
Earlier, the district police had arrested five persons in connection with the case. All the arrested persons, though, had no criminal records.
The Siwan police had said that the arrested youth had confessed that they had killed Rajdeo Ranjan at the behest of Laddan Mian who had provided them the weapon and Rs. 15,000.
Police sources, however, told The Hindu that Laddan Mian had hired young men with no criminal records for the murder and also promised them to settle a land dispute in which some of them were involved.
Rajdeo Ranjan was shot dead on May 14 at a fruit market on station road in Siwan, a few yards away from his office. He was bureau chief of the local edition of Hindustan newspaper.
Under pressure the Bihar government had recommended a CBI probe into the murder of Rajdeo Ranjan. However, the CBI is yet to take up the case.
