The BJP’s controversial Baghmara MLA Dhullu Mahto on Monday surrendered in court in connection with an extortion and attempt-to-murder case lodged against him by a trader from Bihar's Muzaffarpur on March 22.

Dhullu, who arrived in the residential office of first class judicial magistrate Sangita along with his lawyer S.N. Mukherjee around 7.30am, was later forwarded to jail.

After Dhullu’s surrender, Mukherjee had filed a bail application in the court, which was opposed by assistant public prosecutor Sony Kumari.

Talking to the media outside the court, senior lawyer Radheyshyam Goswami, one of Dhullu’s counsels, said: “The MLA surrendered today in the court in connection with an extortion case for which a warrant was issued against him.”

On why he was absconding, Goswami said: “He was never absconding and was engaged in social work. He was simultaneously taking legal recourse against police’s attempt to arrest him in politically motivated cases.

“He was falsely implicated in a number of cases after the change of the government in the state. He has already received bail in many cases and is hopeful of the court granting him relief in the remaining cases,” Goswami added.

Muzaffarpur resident Irshad Alam had in his petition alleged that Dhullu along with eight to 10 aides had demanded Rs 55 lakh from him when he went to Muraidih colliery in Baghmara on March 10 to bring back the heavy vehicles he had purchased during an auction carried out by a Calcutta-based finance company.

Alam alleged that Dhullu and his team, who were carrying arms, had also attacked him when he tried to escape.

Besides the extortion case, Dhullu is facing arrest in another case of rape and outraging the modesty of a woman lodged against him by a former BJP woman worker on November 23, 2018.

Dhullu’s house at Chitahi in Baghmara was raided in the early hours of February 19 in a case related to rioting, Arms Act and attempt to murder lodged by his neighbour Doman Mahto with Barora police in Baghmara on February 14.

Since then police continued to raid different places across the district and outside, but Dhullu kept evading arrest.

On March 5 this year, Jharkhand High court quashed the arrest warrant against Dhullu issued in the case lodged by his neighbour. The next day, a court of subdivisional judicial magistrate Shikha Agarwal issued the new arrest warrant against Dhullu in the rape case.