A manhunt for Dhanbad's maverick deputy mayor - accused of intimidating a corporation engineer who refused to pay him "commission" earlier this month - drew a blank on Wednesday even though police raided three places across town including the house of his aide and co-accused.
A team led by DSP D.N. Banka began raids for Eklavya Singh (30) as early as 1.30am, hoping to round up the youngest scion of the coal town's dubiously famous Singh family. However, Eklavya wasn't found at his cousin Harsh Singh's home in Dhaiya, supporter Raj Anand Singh's residence in Bheltand or at friend Niraj Singhal's house in Hirapur.
Earlier, on July 4, a police team had raided Raghukul, the deputy mayor's own palatial residence in Saraidhela, but in vain.
Sources in police said Wednesday's search was also meant for laying hands on incriminating clues against the deputy mayor who is a named accused in several other cases. They, however, refused to divulge if any documental evidence was found against Eklavya from Dhaiya, Bheltand or Hirapur.
On July 3, executive engineer of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation (DMC) Arun Kumar Singh had lodged an FIR at Dhanbad town thana against Eklavya and Raj Anand, accusing them of an extortion attempt at gunpoint.
According to Arun Kumar, he received a call from Raj Anand around 3.35pm on July 1, asking him to cough up commission because Eklavya's "business" was suffering losses. The engineer refused and disconnected the call. Some three minutes later, Raj Anand called again and said Eklavya wanted to meet Arun Kumar outside the DMC office.
"When I reached the spot, the deputy mayor insisted that I take a ride with him in his SUV. The vehicle went around town and all the while the deputy mayor kept a pistol on the dashboard to demand money from me," Arun Kumar said in his FIR.
DSP Banka confirmed that they couldn't find Eklavya, but refused to elaborate. "Raids are still on. Police will take legal recourse (obtain warrant from court) to arrest him," the officer said.
Incidentally, this is not the first time police are on Eklavya's trail. In November 2010, Jharia coal trader Ashok Singh had lodged an FIR against him for allegedly demanding Rs 1 lakh. The case is pending for witness examination.
Another case of extortion against Eklavya was lodged by one Abhijit Singh, a resident of Housing Colony Area, in April 2008, when he wasn't elected to the key corporation post.
Last August, former Dhanbad OC Ashok Singh had lodged an FIR against Eklavya for obstructing government work by threatening a detained person inside the police station.
Devendra Singh, a witness in the Suresh Singh murder case, also lodged an FIR in August 2015 after the deputy mayor tried to compel him to turn hostile during a witness examination.
In January this year, Eklavya was admitted to hospital with a bullet wound in the neck, with rumour mills calling it a suicide attempt, but police remaining tight-lipped on the possibility.
He was referred to The Mission Hospital in Durgapur, Bengal, after doctors in Dhanbad removed the bullet, which was apparently fired from the deputy mayor's own licensed pistol.
