The Uttar Pradesh STF arrested two wanted criminals in separate intelligence-based operations after tracking them to locations outside their home districts, officials said on Saturday. One, carrying a ₹ 50,000 reward, was arrested in Lucknow in connection with a case in Azamgarh, while another, also carrying a ₹ 50,000 reward and wanted in a murder case in Unnao, was arrested in Pune. The arrests highlight the STF’s intensified efforts to track wanted and reward-declared criminals who move to other districts or states to evade arrest.
Pramod was identified and arrested after the informer confirmed his identity. The STF alerted local police and kept the area under surveillance. Qureshi was produced before a court in Pune, which granted his transit remand. He was subsequently brought to Unnao and handed over to Achalganj police for further legal proceedings.
In Lucknow, the STF arrested Pramod Kumar, a resident of Azamgarh, near Globe Park in the Qaiserbagh area around 5.30 pm on Friday. Kumar was wanted in a case registered at Kotwali Nagar police station in Azamgarh under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters Act, and a ₹ 50,000 reward had been announced for information leading to his arrest. Qureshi, a resident of Turiqiya village under Gangaghat police station in Unnao, was arrested near Heritage Hotel in the Kharadi area around 9.15 am. He was wanted in an FIR from 2025, registered at Achalganj police station under Sections 3(5), 103(1) and 238 of the BNS. A ₹ 50,000 reward had been declared for his arrest. A ₹ 50,000 reward had been announced for information leading to his arrest.
In the second operation, the STF arrested Rafiq Qureshi alias Lalli, who was wanted in a murder case in Unnao, in Pune on Thursday.
Qureshi allegedly confessed to killing Imran alias Kale of Achalganj on July 6, 2025, with the help of Farman alias Chunna, according to the STF. He allegedly fled to Pune after his name surfaced during the investigation and began working as a pickup-loader driver.
