LUCKNOW: Tightening the noose around missing UP minister
Gayatri Prajapati, police on Saturday got his passport suspended for four weeks with immediate effect.
Prajapati
, who is facing arrest in a gang-rape case, has been missing since February 27.
On Saturday, police obtained a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Prajapati and six other accused in the case even as simultaneous raids at their suspected hideouts across three districts failed to yield results. Regional passport officer Amit Singh said the action was initiated on the complaint of Lucknow police. “For now, the passport has been suspended for four weeks following the possibility that he might flee the country.
He has been issued a show-cause notice and further action will depend on his reply,” he said.
The police action came hours after PM
Narendra Modi took a jibe at the SP government for its delay in arresting Prajapati, comparing it with the prompt action that followed after SP minister Azam Khan’s buffaloes were stolen. The buffaloes were recovered in a couple of days after they went missing in February 2014. Addressing a rally on Saturday, Modi said people recite Gayatri mantra on auspicious occasions, but the UP CM and
Rahul Gandhi have opted for ‘Gayatri Prajapati’ mantra instead.
Prajapati is contesting polls on an SP ticket from
Amethi
. He was last seen in public on February 27 when he cast his vote in Amethi.