Dhanbad, Oct. 23: Police hunting for the relatives of Bachcha Singh who have been accused in criminal cases today raided the residences of the urban development minister.

Investigators, led by deputy superintendent of police (law and order) Sudershan Mandal, swooped down on Singh Mansion and Kunti Nivas in Dhanbad’s Steel Gate area, where the relatives of the minister live.

Armed with warrants of arrests in three different cases, the police went looking for Rajiv Ranjan Singh, the minister’s nephew and son of the late coal don Suryadeo Singh. Rajiv Ranjan is an accused in the murder of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Manindranath Mandal.

The police also had warrants of arrest against Bachcha Singh’s brother Ramadhir Singh in a case of extortion. Warrants had also been issued against Mukesh Singh and Chhotu Singh, the sons of the minister’s younger brother Rajan Singh.

Ramadhir Singh and Rajiv Ranjan have also been named accused in the murder of coal trader Pramod Singh last month. The businessman, in his dying declaration before the police, named the duo as his killers.

However, none of the relatives of the minister was present when the police raid took place.

The trial in the Manindranath Mandal murder case is going on in a Dhanbad court but Rajiv Ranjan did not depose, following which an arrest warrant was issued against him.

Ramadhir Singh is accused of extortion in the Chandi Market episode. Police, after initially turning a deaf ear to the appeals of the owner of the market, Debashish, lodged a case against Ramadhir for allegedly trying to occupy the complex located in the posh Park Market area of Hirapur. Debashish had appealed to the Governor for justice.

The third case refers to the alleged bid by the sons of Rajan Singh to “forcefully occupy” the property of a retired plant engineer of Fertiliser Corporation of India (FCI), Sindri, in the Harsh Vihar colony. According to Budhadeo Sao, the victim engineer, he had purchased a plot in the colony and built a house after retirement. But he alleged that when he tried to shift to his new house, Mukesh Singh and Chhotu Singh (sons of Rajan Singh) prevented him from doing so and also tried to grab his property.

The residents of Singh Mansion and Kunti Nivas did not appear too surprised by the raid and did not put up any resistance. But someone from the family reportedly told the DSP leading the team: “Yeh sab kuch thik nahin ho raha hai (whatever is happening is not good).”