Ara court blast accused names JD(U) MLA as facilitator

The main accused in Ara court bomb blast case Lambu Sharma today confessed that a JD(U) MLA in Bihar facilitated his escape from judicial custody.
The state police asserted it would investigate the matter and take action.
"In a confessional statement to the Delhi Police, Sharma has revealed that MLA Sunil Pandey facilitated his escape from judicial custody while he was being produced in the Ara Court in Bhojpur district and also provided support to take him to a place where he wanted to go," Additional Director General (Police Headquarters) Sunil Kumar told reporters here.
Pandey was a JD(U) MLA from Terari constituency in Bhojpur district and the ADG said Sharma's "Confessional statement was a matter of investigation."

Sharma had escaped from custody along with another prisoner Akhilesh Upadhyaya while being produced in Ara court on January 23 this year following an explosion triggered by a human bomb. Two persons were killed and around two dozen were injured in the incident.
While Upadhyaya was arrested soon, Sharma remained an absconder and was arrested in New Delhi recently by joint efforts of the Bihar Police and Delhi Police on June 24 and was later brought back to Ara and kept in jail.

Police officers said Sharma in his confessional statement has also told the Delhi Police that Pandey gave him a Rs 50 lakh contract to kill Uttar Pradesh gangster-turned politician and MLA from Mau constituency Mukhtar Ansari.

Sources said Sharma claimed he stayed at the house of an MP in the national capital for almost three months.
Meanwhile, Bhojpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Navin Chandra Jha said the Bihar Police would take Sharma on remand tomorrow to interrogate him, as well as, record his statement afresh.
"Action will be taken as per his statement and supporting evidences to us," Jha added.
Sharma was earlier accused in several cases of murder, extortion and other offences.
Pandey was not reachable on his mobile phone. A call at his Patna residence revealed he was in his constituency.