Patna: The police on Saturday arrested one of the main accused in the high-profile case relating to the murder of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) engineer Satyendra Dubey from Nalanda district.

Police said a joint team of the special task force and Nalanda police raided hideous of criminals at Gajrajbigh village in Nalanda district and nabbed three persons, including Uday Mallah alias Uday Kumar.

Uday, a resident of Gaya's Chandauti police station area, was an accused in the Satyendra Dubey murder case. Police sources said a special CBI court in Patna convicted Uday under Sections 394 (dacoity) and 302 (murder) of IPC and awarded him a life term. He, however, escaped from judicial custody in 2010.

Satyendra Dubey, known as a whistle blower, was shot dead by armed criminals in Gaya town on November 27, 2003, when he was on his way home from the Gaya railway station.

Apart from Uday, two others - Pinku Ravidas and Mantu Kumar - were also sentenced to life but they later got bail from the Patna High Court.

Nalanda superintendent of police (SP) Sudhir Kumar Porika said he has already informed CBI officials about Uday's arrest from Nalanda. "I am also in touch with Patna police to get details about his escape from judicial custody," he told The Telegraph over phone.

The police also seized six powerful ken bombs during the raid at Gajrajbigh village under the jurisdiction of Nalanda police station. Uday's two other arrested associates were identified as Mohammad Shahanshah Chhotu, a resident of Gaya and Rajiv Ranjan, a native of Nalanda district.

SP Porika said the criminals had assembled to commit a crime in Nalanda. The three were later produced in the court of the chief judicial magistrate, which remanded them to 14-day judicial custody.