Road rage killing: JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi arrested

Absconding JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi, whose son Rocky Yadav was arrested in connection with killing of a Gaya youth in an incident of road rage, surrendered in a court today and was remanded into 14 days of judicial custody.

As the morning court started for the day, Manorama Devi surrendered in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate-IV Som Sagar. The court remanded her to 14 days of judicial custody.

The surrender of the ruling party legislator came a week after she went into hiding after issuance of arrest warrant against her in the case of recovery of liquor bottles from her house, during the search for her son Rocky. The same court is expected to pronounce verdict today on police prayer filed yesterday for attachment of her property.

The MLC appeared in court even as police was on the lookout for her after an arrest warrant was issued.

Asked if police were present in the court premises to arrest her before she could surrender, Senior Superintendent of Police, Gaya, Garima Mallik said the suspended legislator surrendered due to intense police pressure. With the surrender of the MLC, the entire family of Manorama Devi, including her husband and son, are now in jail in the case of murder of class XII student Sachdeva, who was shot dead allegedly by Rocky Yadav after their car overtook his SUV.

The MLC's lawyer Mohammad Sarfuddin later said that he had told the court that she is not well and proper medical facility should be provided to her in custody. The court accepted this and instructed officials to provide her medical facility.

justify;">While being taken to jail from the court, the MLC alleged that the BJP got her trapped in the case for political reasons.

"Do I drink alcohol that I will keep liquor bottles in my house?" she asked media persons. To a question, the suspended JD(U) MLC said she was with the Grand Secular Alliance ministry.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had yesterday said that nobody could escape from the clutches of law in the Gaya case as well as in the killing of a journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan.

Manorama Devi was suspended from JD(U) last week after six bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) were found from her house in posh Anugrah Puri colony in Gaya on May 9 during search for her fugitive son Rakesh Ranjan Yadav alias Rocky Yadav in the case of killing of Aditya Sachdeva.

Her trouble started after suspension from the party. Police included her name in the FIR in connection with recovery of liquor bottles with her husband Bindi Yadav, an RJD man and known history-sheeter of the area, and Rocky.

The police acquired arrest warrant against the MLC but she went into hiding. The police had got proclamation notice against her. Yesterday the police prayed for order to attach her property.

Manorama Devi gave herself to the law only after exhausting the option to acquire an anticipatory bail. Her anticipatory bail application was rejected by District and Sessions judge Sajal Mandilwar.