STF nabs fugitive rapist carrying Rs 50,000 bounty

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday arrested a convicted rapist, Mohammad Zaid Khan alias Sameer, who had been absconding after escaping court custody. He was nabbed near Tomar Cold Storage on the Lucknow-Mall Road in Hardoi district. Zaid Khan (35), son of the late Aslam Khan and a resident of Yameen Ganj under the Saadatganj police station area, had been sentenced to 20 years in jail in a 2013 POCSO case involving kidnapping and gang rape. He was also facing charges under IPC Sections 363, 366, 376D, and Sections 3/4 of the POCSO Act. During a court appearance on June 18, 2025, the accused gave police personnel the slip and fled. Following this, a fresh case (FIR No. 158/2025 under Section 262 of the BNS) was registered at Wazirganj police station, and two constables — Farid Ahmed and Muqeem — were suspended for negligence, the STF said. DSP, STF, Deepak Kumar Singh was tasked with tracking him down. "During intelligence gathering, it was discovered that Zaid was threatening a real estate builder in Lucknow's Thakurganj area, demanding Rs 14 lakh and issuing death threats. Acting on a tip-off, an STF team laid a trap in coordination with local police," said Singh. During interrogation, Zaid, who carried a Rs 50,000 bounty, admitted that he had arranged a weapon to kill the Thakurganj builder, who he claimed owed him money. Police also recovered a .32 bore pistol, two live cartridges, one spent cartridge of the same calibre, a mobile phone, a bag, and Rs 1,220 in cash from his possession.