Don-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin was shifted from Siwan district jail to Delhi's Tihar Central Jail on Saturday on the directions of the Supreme Court to ensure fair trial in some 45 criminal cases pending against him in Bihar.

Shahabuddin, serving a life sentence in connection with a double murder case, was taken to Delhi from Patna by the Sampoorn Kranti Express under tight security. A police team headed by an additional superintendent escorted him to Delhi where the gangster would be handed over to Tihar jail authorities on Sunday. Shahabuddin was brought to Patna's Beur Central Jail around 7am from Siwan in a white SUV.

District authorities tried to keep his shifting a secret but a number of supporters gathered outside the Siwan jail around midnight and started following him to Patna when he set off at 2.40am.

It later emerged, Shahabuddin was fined Rs 450 by the travelling ticket examiner before the train reached Mughalsarai for travelling without a ticket. He had a general ticket but was travelling in the S2 coach. Those who had reserved berths in S2 were moved to other compartments. Sources said, two jailed underworld dons - Anant Singh and Ritlal Yadav - "welcomed" Shahabuddin at Beur jail.

On February 15, the Supreme Court ordered Shahabuddin's transfer to Tihar on petitions filed by Siwan resident Chandrakeshwar Prasad, three of whose sons were killed, allegedly at Shahabuddin's behest, and Asha Ranjan, the wife of slain journalist Rajdev Ranjan. The court also ordered that the trial in the pending cases would be conducted through video-conferencing.