Inspector Shamse Alam, main accused in the alleged encounter in which three youths in Patna were killed, was on Wednesday arrested and sent to Beur jail, police officials said.

A police team from the Shastri Nagar police station had last Saturday killed the youths suspecting them to be dacoits. Alam was the officer in charge of the police station.

In his FIR, Alam claimed that he had fired seven rounds at the youths when he saw them committing dacoity.

A public outcry forced the police to suspend Alam and five policemen. Later on Tuesday, the government shifted Deputy Superintendent of Police Ajit Kumar Sinha out of the Sachivalay police station and asked him to report to the state police headquarters, state Home Secretary R J M Pillai said.

However, the main opposition BJP, its allies and others had on Wednesday continued with their protests demanding Alam's arrest and registration of a murder case against the policemen involved in the alleged encounter. They are also demanding a CBI enquiry into the episode.

On Wednesday evening, police finally arrested Alam and produced him before the chief judicial magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody. Senior Superintendent of Police (Patna) Sunil Kumar confirmed the arrest.

Ruling RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav said that the state's Crime Investigation Department was conducting a probe into the incident.

More reports from Bihar