The key accused in transporter Dalbir Singh’s murder and seven of his aides have been netted from Bihar’s Siwan.

A police team from East Singhbhum, led by DSP (law and order) B.N. Singh, swooped on Prakash Mishra and Co. while they were watching a matinee show at a cinema on Saturday.

Mishra’s aides have been identified as Bhim Kamat, Titu Sardar, Jayprakash, Mohammed Ejaz, Moni Das, Raja Singh and Ravi Kumar. While Ejaz is a resident of Siwan, the rest hail from Jamshedpur. On Sunday, the eight were brought to the city on transit remand and forwarding to judicial custody.

Dalbir Singh (46), alias Birre, was shot dead at Jemco in Telco police station area on the night December 10 last year. Police had managed to arrest three persons two days later along with weapons used in the murder, but Mishra and others of his gang had been absconding until Saturday.

SSP Amol V. Homkar on Sunday confirmed that the transporter, who did have a chequered past, was a victim of revenge killing.

“One Amarjeet had married Mishra’s sister against his wish four years ago, triggering enmity between the families. Mishra and his father killed Amarjeet in 2011. In the case, Prabir Jha was a prosecution witness whom Birre helped both morally and financially,” the SSP said.

Homkar added that the transporter, who too tried to eliminate the father-son duo, had escaped a bid on his life at Jemco Chowk on September 17, 2012.

“The Mishras, finally, managed to kill him last year. The arrested trio gave us clues that led the police team to Siwan a fortnight ago. Two of our officers posed as salesmen of a popular detergent brand to zero in on the gang. After two weeks, the breakthrough came with help from local police.”

Two more accused in the case, Prakash Mishra’s brother Suraj and their father Laxminarayan, are still at large.