Patna, May 16: A juvenile has "confessed" to murdering undertrial gangster Babloo Dubey on the Bettiah civil court premises on May 11, confirming police's suspicion that jailed dons are roping in remand-home inmates to commit crimes.

Bettiah superintendent of police (SP) Vinay Kumar said on Tuesday that Rahul Singh, lodged in Motihari Central Jail, had hired a juvenile lodged in Motihari remand home to kill Babloo in Bettiah court.

"Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage helped us ascertain the identity of the actual shooter and his aides," the SP told The Telegraph over the phone. "The juvenile escaped from the remand home in Motihari, reached Bettiah and committed the crime in the crowded court. The investigators found that the minor went back to the remand home and thereafter escaped to his native village Phenhara, from where he was taken into custody."

Police sources said the boy, who was arrested on Monday, told his interrogators that Vijay Yadav and Neeraj Yadav, aides of Rahul, had provided him a gun a week before the murder. He had stayed at Vijay's residence in Bettiah the night before May 11. The initial plan was to attack Babloo near the prisoners' van, but the alertness of the security personnel forced them to change the plan and shoot him near the courtroom.

One of the juveniles fired three shots from his country-made pistol when Babloo was stepping down the stairs from the trial court on the first floor of the building. As he fell, the second juvenile pumped two more bullets into Babloo. Both assailants fled into the crowd as the escort team of the special auxiliary police gave chase.

"The policemen couldn't open fire fearing that the bullets may hit passers-by. Raids are on to catch the second juvenile, who hails from Pipra village in West Champaran," said Bettiah deputy superintendent of police Sanjay Kumar Jha.

Another investigating officer revealed that Rahul and Kunal had formed a suicide squad to kill Babloo. "There were chances of the shooters being lynched. It was sheer luck that the boys escaped unhurt," he added.

Both juveniles had escaped from Motihari remand home three days before May 11, for which an FIR was lodged against them in Motihari. On Tuesday, a medical board examined the age of the juvenile in custody.

Apart from the two juveniles, eight people - Rahul Singh, Kunal, Ripusudan, Vikas Singh, Manish Singh, Sanjay Singh, Vijay and Neeraj - have been named as accused in the case. While Rahul is in jail, Vijay and Neeraj were arrested on Monday, police sources said.

The cops suspect the dispute over the distribution of the ransom money received from Nepal industrialist Suresh Kedia led to Babloo's murder.

Earlier, jailed don Santosh Jha had used juveniles lodged in Muzaffarpur remand home to carry out an operation outside jail. Police investigations had also revealed that some remand home inmates were actually above 18 years of age.