Nagendra Rai, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and nephew of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad was Tuesday remanded to judicial custody till January 3 by a Patna court hours after his arrest in connection with three criminal cases pending against him.

Rai was produced by the police before Chief Judicial Magistrate Sushma Sinha, who remanded him to judicial custody.

He will be lodged in the high-security Beur jail. Rai was arrested from his residence as part of a special drive launched by the district police against criminals Monday night, Senior Superintendent of Police Kundan Krishnan told PTI.

The cases relate to criminal assault and opening of fire at different places within the Shastrinagar police station limits in Patna in 2004.

The SSP said that though senior district police officers had ordered Rai's arrest soon after the crimes were committed, he was not arrested due to his 'political clout'.