Gopalganj: A court in Bihar’s Gopalganj district has issued arrest warrants against Kuchaikote JD(U) MLA Amarendra Kumar Pandey, his brother Satish Pandey, and another accused in connection with a land dispute and alleged links to land mafia activities, police officials said.
The accused have been charged with providing protection to land mafias and assisting in illegal possession of land. Following the issuance of the warrants, police teams have been dispatched to arrest them.
According to police sources, the incident dates back to April 1, when alleged land mafias arrived in a Scorpio vehicle at a 93-acre plot in Belwa village under Kuchaikote police station limits. The land belongs to Kiran Sinha. The accused allegedly threatened her manager, Jitendra Kumar Rai, a resident of Semraav village under Mirganj police station, asking him to vacate the land. They also reportedly opened fire during the incident.
Acting on the information, Kuchaikote police launched a raid and arrested four individuals — Bhola Pandey, Guddu Kumar, Deepak Kumar Ram, and Nitish Kumar — from Baletha Bazaar in Siwan district.
In the same case, Rahul Tiwari, a resident of Hasanpur village under Sidhwalia police station, has also been accused of supporting the land mafias. Police said that MLA Amarendra Kumar Pandey, his brother Satish Pandey, and Rahul Tiwari had been absconding.
The Kuchaikote police had submitted a report in court regarding their absconding status and sought issuance of warrants, following which the court approved the request.
Superintendent of Police Vinay Tiwari said that strict action would be taken against anyone found supporting land mafias or encouraging criminal activities. He added that efforts are underway to ensure the arrest of all accused at the earliest.
Meanwhile, police have intensified their crackdown on land mafia networks in the district. Sources said that around a dozen individuals involved in such activities across different areas have been identified.
