By IANS
Patna : A man accused of pushing to death a Tata Motors official from the eight floor flat here of a judge has reportedly fled to Nepal, police sources said Wednesday.
Suresh Mahto, an assistant general manager in Tata Motors in Lucknow, died after falling from Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) judge Sadhna Srivastava's White House apartment in the heart of Patna Sunday afternoon.
Police have identified Anil Singh, in his 20s, as the mastermind behind the robbery and killing of Mahto.
Singh, who police sources said was a tech savvy criminal known for forgery, blackmailing and loot, had fled Bihar. The motive behind the murder is not known.
Singh is also wanted by Delhi Police on charges of duping people by impersonating as a police officer.
The police have raided suspected hideouts in Muzaffarpur and Patna to arrest Anil Singh, a police official said. Police suspect he might have fled to Nepal.
"It is a common destination for criminals to escape arrest," an officer said.
In a bid to pressure him to surrender, his parents and two sisters were taken to Patna's Beur Jail until June 2 on charges of conspiring to kill Mahto and trying to shelter Singh after the crime was committed.
Another man linked to the killing, Pawan alias Vikas, who jumped from the second floor of the building and suffered serious injuries, has been arrested and interrogated, police said.
Pawan admitted that he and Anil Singh barged into the judge's flat. But he denied killing Mahto.
The Patna High Court Monday took a suo moto cognisance of media reports about Mahto's death and directed the Bihar government to submit a report.
Former director general of state police Narayan Mishra was also interrogated in connection with the incident. A case against him is reportedly pending in Sadhna Srivastava's court.
Mishra, who is facing several corruption cases, has denied his involvement and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the killing.
According to Bihar police chief Ashish Ranjan Sinha, robbery could be the motive as jewellery, ATM cards and other valuables from the judge's flat had been looted.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kundan Krishna said the two men tried to photograph Srivastava and Mahto so as to blackmail them. Apparently, Mahto was in his undergarments when his body was found.
Sadhna Srivastava's husband lives in Lucknow.