Sleuths of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (UP ATS) claimed to have apprehended an accused absconding in connection with a case involving the operation of illegal SIM boxes registered in Azamgarh last year.

According to an official communiqué released by the UP ATS on Tuesday evening, they exposed a gang operating illegal SIM boxes in 2023 and arrested Sarfaraz Alam, a resident of Bakhra village in Saraimeer police station area of Azamgarh. A large quantity of SIM boxes and related equipment were recovered during the raid. An FIR was registered under sections 420/120B IPC, 4/20/21/25 of the Indian Telegraph Act-1885, 3/6 of the Indian Wireless Network Act 1933, and 66/66D of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act 2008 at the ATS police station in Lucknow.

During the investigation and preliminary interrogation of the arrested accused, another suspect, Samiullah alias Samiullah Khan, son of Afaque Ahmed alias Afaque Alam, also from Bakhra village, Saraimeer police station area, Azamgarh, was identified. The ATS issued a Look-Out Circular (LOC) and a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) against Samiullah.

The ATS officials claimed that on Tuesday morning, they received information that Samiullah, who had been absconding, would arrive in Lucknow from Dubai. An ATS team immediately acted on this intelligence, stopping the accused at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow. After verifying his identity, the ATS team took Samiullah into custody.

The accused will now be presented before the designated court as per the legal process, and the ATS will seek his police custody remand to further interrogate him in the case.