Gaya: Controversial former RJD MLA from Atri Rajendra Yadav was today pronounced guilty of kidnapping and suspected murder of two persons in 2005. Fast track court judge Vijay Kant Jha held Yadav, whose wife Kunti Devi of RJD currently represents Atri constituency in the state assembly, guilty of kidnapping Mithilesh Paswan and Lal Bahadur Yadav, supporters of a rival candidate in the assembly polls in February 2005. Their bodies were never found.

The judge fixed June 22 for announcing the quantum of punishment.

Yadav, along with his two associates, were arrested from Horidih village of Gaya district on May 14 this year after being on the run for over five months following his escape from police custody. Yadav, who was elected to the state assembly twice in 1995 and 2000, had on December 4,2006 escaped from the court premises where he had been taken for production in a criminal case. His legislator wife was accused of abetting the escape and was arrested before being enlarged on bail.

The CPI (Maoist), which has a strong presence in the area had blasted Yadav's abandoned farmhouse barely a few days after his escape leading to acrimonious scenes in the Bihar Assembly marked by prolonged boycott of the House by the entire Opposition.