Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Baghmara in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand and four others were on October 9 convicted by a local court and sentenced to 18 months in jail for helping a person flee from police custody.
The Sub-Divisional Magistrate Court of Shikha Agrawal in Dhanbad civil court convicted BJP MLA Dhullo Mahto alias Tiger and four others, while acquitting one.
The incident happened on May 12, 2013. After Rajesh Gupta was arrested on a court's order, Mahto and his supporters reached the police station and attacked the policemen and took away Gupta forcibly.
The BJP MLA is known for his controversial past and muscle power in coal areas of Dhanbad. Several criminal cases have been lodged against him in local police stations of the district. In 2009, he won the Assembly poll on a Babulal Marandi-led Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) ticket. In 2014, he retained the seat with the BJP ticket.
