The prime accused in the bomb attack on Uttar Pradesh Minister Nand Gopal Gupta “Nandi” in Allahabad earlier this year, who was arrested from Mumbai last week, has been sent by a court to police custody for 10 days.

Passing the order on Monday, Special Judge Rajeev Lochan Mehrotra said that the police remand of Rajesh Pilot alias Annu Shandilya shall begin on 12th October and end on 22nd October at 5 P.M.

The court also said that Pilot must not be subjected to third degree during police remand and in order to ensure compliance, the accused will have to undergo a medical check up after being sent back to judicial custody.

Hailing from Harda district in Madhya Pradesh, Pilot was arrested from Mumbai by a Special Task Force team of Uttar Pradesh police on 4th October.

He is suspected to have carried out the bomb attack on Nandi outside his residence in Allahabad on 12th July in which two persons were killed while the Minister himself was seriously injured.

Police claim that Pilot was “hired” by Dilip Mishra, a Samajwadi Party leader and president of Chaka block in the district’s trans-Yamuna region who has been named in an FIR lodged by a cousin of the Minister subsequent to the bomb attack.

Police also claim that during interrogations, Pilot alleged the involvement of Vijay Mishra, Dilip Mishra’s relative and absconding Samajwadi Party MLA, who represents Bhadohi constituency in Sant Ravidas Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.

ADG (law and order) Brijlal said in Lucknow last week that the MLA and his associates, besides being involved in the bomb attack conspiracy, “had given shelter to Pilot after the incident”.

The SP MLA has been absconding ever since his name cropped up in a firing incident at an election rally at Handia near Allahabad during the Lok Sabha polls last year.

However, Dilip Mishra has been in jail in connection with another murder case.