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UP STF nabs suspect who used auto-rickshaw to aid child kidnapping gang in Delhi NCR
UP STF nabs suspect who used auto-rickshaw to aid child kidnapping gang in Delhi NCR
Lucknow, A suspected member of a human trafficking gang who used his auto-rickshaw to facilitate the kidnapping of children in Delhi NCR was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force from Hardoi district, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, Shahrukh alias Imran, carried a reward of ₹50,000 on his arrest and was wanted in connection with a case registered at Atrauli police station in Hardoi under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita , the STF said in a statement.
The accused initially worked as an auto-rickshaw driver and came in contact with a woman, Sonia alias Sunita, who hired his vehicle on a daily payment basis in the national capital. In 2025, she allegedly lured him into a gang involved in kidnapping children, it stated.
The agency said the gang used hired vehicles to transport kidnapped children and avoid suspicion. The accused, driven by monetary inducement, joined the network and began assisting in their activities, including movement and logistical support.
He later came into contact with other members of the gang, identified as Abhay Verma, Umashankar, Pathan Mumtaz alias Haseena, Modawati Sharda, Bikkol Bijli alias Bikobolu Savita Thakur and Ankul, all of whom were earlier arrested and sent to jail by the local police, it said.
After learning about the crackdown on the gang, the accused went into hiding and kept moving between Delhi, Ghaziabad and areas along the Uttar Pradesh border to evade arrest, it added.
Acting on specific inputs, an STF team apprehended him on Tuesday at around 9:45 pm from near the Dikni area on the Sandila-Atrauli road in Hardoi, according to the statement.
The accused has been handed over to the local police, and further legal proceedings in the case are underway, it said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
