Patna Police Arrest Bihar MP Pappu Yadav in 1995 Forgery Case After Late-Night Drama

Six-time MP Rajesh Ranjan, popularly known as Pappu Yadav, was arrested by Patna Police late on Friday night in connection with a forgery case dating back to 1995.

The arrest followed high drama at his residence in Patna’s Mandiri locality. Yadav, who won the 2024 Lok Sabha election as an Independent candidate from Purnea, was taken into custody for repeatedly skipping court hearings, police officials said.

A tense situation unfolded when a police team arrived at his residence to execute a warrant issued by an MP/MLA court in a case registered under Section 467 (forgery of documents) of the Indian Penal Code. Yadav initially refused to accompany the police, arguing that they only had a warrant for property attachment and not for his arrest.

After a prolonged standoff, he was taken into custody and is scheduled to be produced before a competent court on Saturday. The police action came shortly after Yadav returned from New Delhi, where he had been attending the ongoing Parliament session.

“A warrant has been issued against the MP by the MP/MLA court in connection with a 1995 case lodged under Section 467 of the IPC. A police team was sent to his residence to ensure his production before the court,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Kartikeya Sharma told PTI.

A large number of Yadav’s supporters gathered outside his residence during the operation, with several engaging in heated arguments with police personnel. Before being taken away, Yadav told reporters that he had already planned to appear before the court on Saturday.

“I have been telling the police that I was anyway going to appear before the court tomorrow. That is the reason I came back today. But I will not hand myself over like this,” he said.

He also linked the police action to his recent protests over the alleged rape and death of a medical aspirant staying in a Patna hostel, claiming he was being targeted for raising issues against the state government.

Accusing the police of misconduct, Yadav said some personnel were in plain clothes and alleged that they failed to show an arrest warrant. “They are misbehaving with me and my supporters. When I asked for the arrest warrant, they could only show a notice for property attachment,” he said.

Yadav, a former chief of the Jan Adhikar Party, has had a long and controversial political career and has faced multiple criminal cases in the past.