Patna: Police launched a major raid on Sunday night in Kothwan village, the native place of incarcerated Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Ritlal Yadav, in connection with a land dispute case in Danapur. The operation was led by City SP (West) Bhanu Pratap Singh and involved heavy police deployment, turning the area into a virtual garrison.
The action was taken to apprehend named accused in case number 206/25 registered at Khagaul police station. While Ritlal Yadav remains in judicial custody in Bhagalpur jail for a separate extortion case, police suspect the involvement of his close associates in the latest FIR, which pertains to alleged illegal interference in a land ownership dispute.
According to police, a complaint was lodged by a man who claimed he had legally contracted a residential construction project in Danapur. The complainant alleged that the plot’s boundary wall was forcibly demolished at the behest of MLA Ritlal Yadav.
“An FIR has been registered and multiple individuals have been named,” said SP Bhanu Pratap Singh. “We are actively conducting raids across suspected locations to apprehend the accused, who are currently absconding.”
Ritlal Yadav, considered a strongman in Danapur, has a history of contesting elections while behind bars. In 2016, he won a seat in the Bihar Legislative Council from jail. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Pataliputra and was elected as an MLA from Danapur on an RJD ticket in the 2020 assembly elections, defeating BJP’s Asha Sinha.
Despite his incarceration, his influence in the region remains significant, prompting heightened security during the raid. Police say efforts to trace and arrest the accused will continue.
