Patna, Nov 26 (IANS): Three people, including a notorious criminal, have been held from Digha-Ashiana road in Bihar on the charges of supplying liquor in the dry state.

"We had specific information about the movement of notorious criminal Bittu. Accordingly, we put up barricades on the roads and started checking vehicles. He was arrested along with two accomplices on Thursday night. We have also recovered expensive bottles of whisky," said Saroj Kumar, SHO of Rajiv Nagar Patna.

The information about Bittu was obtained during a raid on a soft drinks agency in Digha locality, a couple of days ago.

During that raid, Patna police had seized 17 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). Thet had also arrested half a dozen employees of the soft drinks agency as well.

The soft drinks agency was owned by a BJP leader named Nilesh Mukhiya who managed to escape from the spot. The arrested persons revealed that the liquor bottles were supplied by Bittu.

During interrogation, Bittu confessed that he has close links with a number of liquor suppliers and mafias active in Patna.

Bittu was a hoarding painter and after coming in contact with local criminals, he started snatching chains and mobiles using bikes and also loot and dacoity.

The police said that he had a unique modus operandi for dacoity using a "guldasta" (bouquet). He went to a flat in upscale SK Puri locality in Patna and knocked on the door holding the 'guldasta' in his hand. When the flat owner opened the door, Bittu robbed him at gunpoint.

Bittu was arrested a couple of days before his marriage, scheduled on Sunday.