Farmhouse raid: Wanted Zafar Ali held in UP's Moradabad

BAREILLY: Zafar Ali, a member of the mining mafia and a wanted criminal in whose pursuit a team of Uttar Pradesh police personnel had conducted raids in Uttarakhand leading to the death of a 28-year-old woman in firing, was arrested by Moradabad police after a brief encounter on Friday night, said police.

Zafar sustained a bullet injury in his right leg during the encounter, said police. He was carrying a reward of 1 lakh.

Moradabad SSP Hemant Kutiyal said, "We had deployed several teams to nab Zafar. During a routine check, we managed to arrest him in the Pakbara area of the district when he was trying to escape to Delhi. He has been admitted to district hospital as he sustained a bullet injury during a brief gunfight with police. One constable also sustained injuries in the operation."

In September, Thakurdwara SDM Parmanand Singh and mining officer Ashok Kumar had seized four dumper trucks carrying sand near UP-Uttarakhand border in Thakurdwara area of Moradabad. The sand was mined without permission in Uttarakhand and was brought to UP illegally.

While the officials were completing their paperwork, Zafar Ali and nearly 150 others charged at the officials and fled with the trucks. Following the incident, an FIR was registered and a reward of 50k was announced on Zafar.

On October 12, police attempted to arrest Zafar but he managed to escape and took shelter in the farmhouse of a local BJP leader, Gurtaj Singh Bhullar, in Uttarakhand village near Kashipur town. The UP cops entered the house and when the occupants of the house resisted, a scuffle took place between the two sides and there was firing. A bullet hit Bhullar's wife, Gurpreet Kaur. According to police, five policemen also sustained bullet injuries and are currently admitted at a hospital in Moradabad. Another FIR was registered against Zafar at Thakurdwara police station after the incident on October 13.