Patna, Dec. 11: Shailendra Mahto, a bank robber wanted by the police of five states, including Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Bihar, was arrested from Karaiparsurai police station area of Nalanda district today.

The Madhya Pradesh government had announced a reward of Rs 15 lakh for Mahto’s arrest.

Nalanda superintendent of police Jitendra Singh Rana said that acting on a tip-off, a police team led by station house officer of Karaiparsurai police station Binod Pandey, conducted a raid at Mahto’s village Chhitrabigha and took Mahto into custody.

However, no firearms were seized from his possession.

Rana said that Mahto was wanted in connection with a loot of Rs 1 crore from a bank in Bhopal.

“A Madhya Pradesh police team recently visited Nalanda in search of Mahto, whose name figured in major bank dacoities in Bhopal and Indore,” he said.

He said that Mahto was involved in at least 30 bank dacoities in six states.

“We are trying to collect his criminal antecedents,” the superintendent said, adding that a Madhya Pradesh police team has left for Bihar to take Mahto on remand.

“We are interrogating him to get more information about his interstate-connections,” Rana added.

Director-general of police Neel Mani said that Mahto was wanted in connection with recent bank robberies of Rs 1 crore each from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Raipur in Chhattisgarh.

The station house officer (SHO) would be rewarded with Rs 25,000, he added. The police have also picked up Mahto’s brother Sharad Mahto for interrogation.

Mukhia’s spouse shot

In another case, the husband of a mukhiya under Mehsi block in Motihari was shot dead at the block headquarters today.

Four unidentified assailants on two motorcycles opened fire on the victim, Chandra Kishore Thakur, killing him on the spot.

The incident happened around 2.30pm. Thakur is husband of the mukhiya of Harpur Nag panchayat, Sushma Devi.

Police are suspecting personal rivalry with one of the assailants to be the reason behind the murder.

Angry over the day-light killing, residents ransacked the block office, assaulted the Anchal (Block) guards and later blocked NH-28.

According to sources, the mob also snatched a few arms from the Anchal guards and some of the cops who tried to disperse the mob.

According to the deputy SP, headquarters, Md Moquim, police reinforcement and Riot Control vehicle was sent from Motihari to bring the situation under control.

The blockade at the national highway hadn’t cleared till the last reports came in.