Babulal Soren (32), the son of Grand Alliance candidate for Jamshedpur Champai Soren, was arrested from Dhalbhumgarh in Ghatshila on Sunday morning.

A resident of Jhilingora in Bagbera, Babulal was wanted in a case registered against him for engaging in a scuffle with cops at a vehicle checking point in Jadugora and fleeing the spot on April 18.

Babulal’s arrest is being seen as a setback for Champai’s poll prospects.

“Police could have arrested him after the polls, but they nabbed him during the first hour of polling,” a JMM leader said.

Jadugora thana OC Rajiv Ranjan said they arrested Babulal from Dhalbhumgarh market and forwarded him to Ghatshila sub-jail after producing him before a judicial magistrate.

“Babulal had manhandled officials of a special police team set up for checking vehicles in view of the Lok Sabha election at Jadugora. He scuffled with the cops, didn’t let them check his SUV and drove away,” Ranjan said.

He said the police had raided Babulal’s house and other places, but finally found him loitering at Dhalbhumgarh market.

Meanwhile, police have made little headway in the Hopen Hembram murder case registered with Parsudih thana on Saturday night.

A resident of Kaliadih in Parsudih, Hopen (35) was gunned down by a gang of six assailants near his house at Kaliadih on Saturday evening.

Though Hopen’s murder took on a political colour because he was Parsudih BJP Mandal’s SC/ST Morcha president, police maintain that the murder was a fallout of land dispute.

DSP (law and order) Alok Ranjan said Hopen and local goon Dukhu Tudu were involved in a land row.

“We have taken some suspects into custody for interrogation,” Alok said.

He said the police had recovered two empty 7.65mm cartridges from the spot and registered a case on the basis of an FIR lodged by Hopen’s widow Rasmuni Hembram.