Bihar policeman suspended after gangster flees lock-up

A police official in Bihar's Purnea district was suspended on Monday, a day after a gangster and husband of a legislator of the ruling Janata Dal-United, escaped from the police station lock-up aided by his protesting supporters, police said.

Purnea Superintendent of Police Nishant Tiwari suspended the officer in-charge of Maranga police station for negligence of duty after Awadhesh Mandal, husband of former Bihar minister and JD-U legislator Bima Bharti, escaped on Sunday night.

"Officer in-charge Shivshankar Kumar was suspended for negligence of duty after Mandal managed to escape," Tiwari said.

Tiwari said a fresh police complaint was lodged against Mandal for escaping. "Police will arrest him soon," he said.

According to Tiwari, Mandal took advantage of his protesting supporters who had laid siege to the police station demanding his release.

Mandal was arrested and brought to the Maranga police station for threatening witness Sonia Devi not to depose before the court in connection with the murder of her husband Chanchal Paswan.

Paswan was killed in 2005 and Mandal was named as an accused.

In the past, Mandal had also allegedly threatened officials that if they failed to pay him he will shoot them and even unleash his dog on them.