The Patna High Court on Tuesday asked the Bihar government to ensure the arrest of over 5000 absconding criminals by November 6.

After hearing arguments on a PIL, the court directed the state government to arrest over 5000 absconding criminals and submit a report in this connection.

"The court asked the government to arrest absconding criminals, put them behind bars and submit a detailed report to inform the court about whether its order had been complied with or not," an official of the court said.

The court has also asked the government to set up a special task force in districts, where crime is reported to be on the rise.

A senior official of the state home department said that a special drive would be launched to arrest absconding criminals soon. "At present, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is in New Delhi; after his return, things will start moving in the right direction," he said.