Lucknow: UP STF on Friday arrested a wanted cattle smuggler, Farmood Ahmad, carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head, from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.STF officials said he was wanted in a 2022 case registered at Airwa Katra police station in Auraiya under sections related to cheating, forgery, the use of forged documents, provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.According to STF, its Prayagraj field unit was conducting a drive against absconding and reward-carrying criminals when it received specific intelligence about Farmood’s presence in Jabalpur. Acting swiftly, the team laid a trap and arrested him before he could leave the area.Investigators said that on March 26, 2022, Farmood’s truck was transporting 23 cattle towards Auraiya when police attempted to stop it during a checking drive. The driver accelerated and tried to flee, but the vehicle overturned in a field between Nagla Daulat and Silwat villages. While the driver escaped, police rescued the cattle and registered a case.STF said that after the incident, Farmood fled to Andhra Pradesh, where he worked as a truck driver to evade arrest. He was traced while returning to Jabalpur after delivering a consignment of tomatoes from Anantapur.After his arrest, STF obtained a transit remand from a Jabalpur court and handed him over to Auraiya police for further proceedings.
