RJD MLA Ritlal Yadav's premises raided in extortion case; cash and blank cheques seized

Patna, April 11 (IANS) In a significant development, the Bihar Special Task Force (STF), along with the Patna Police, conducted raids on the premises of RJD MLA Ritlal Yadav on Friday in connection with an extortion case.

The police revealed that Rs 10.50 lakh in cash, blank cheques worth Rs 77.50 lakh, and five official stamps were seized during the operation.

The stamps are now under scrutiny to determine their usage and authenticity.

“A complaint was lodged against Ritlal Yadav and his associates for demanding extortion. Based on this, the raid was conducted on his premises in Danapur locality on Friday,” said Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Danapur, Bhanu Pratap Singh, who led the team.

He confirmed the recovery of cash and blank cheques from the MLA’s Danapur’s house.

Ritlal Yadav has a well-documented criminal background. As per his 2020 election affidavit, 33 criminal cases were registered against him, including one related to the 2003 murder of BJP leader Satyanarayan Sinha in Danapur.

Notably, the late leader’s wife, Asha Sinha, later won the seat on a BJP ticket.

Yadav’s political journey started in 2010, but he gained momentum after aligning with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

He first tasted electoral success as an MLC in 2016, before winning the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections from the Danapur constituency.

The raid and the nature of the items recovered are likely to intensify political tensions in Bihar. The ruling BJP and JDU may seize this moment to question the law-and-order situation and the continued support of RJD for politicians with tainted records.

Ritlal Yadav is popular in the Danapur Assembly constituency, especially among the Yadav caste.

This constituency also has a significant Muslim population, which helped Ritlal Yadav to win the 2020 Assembly poll.

With Assembly elections on the horizon and RJD positioning itself as a key opposition force, the episode could have wider political implications -- both legally and electorally.

--IANS

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