Fugitives Nabbed After 17-Year Run: UP Police STF Captures Alleged Scam Couple

The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) has apprehended a couple, Amit and Shikha Srivastava, who had been evading arrest for nearly 17 years. Wanted for allegedly defrauding people by promising jobs, the couple was arrested in Ahmedabad. They had previously set up fraudulent companies in Prayagraj and continued scamming in Delhi and Ahmedabad.

The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) on Thursday arrested a couple who had eluded authorities for nearly 17 years. They were wanted for allegedly defrauding multiple individuals under the guise of offering employment, officials said.

Amit Srivastava and Shikha Srivastava, bearing a combined reward of Rs 1 lakh on their capture, were detained in Ahmedabad's Vejalpur area, according to police. The duo had been facing charges of fraud and other offenses in a case registered at Prayagraj's George Town police station.

'Acting on specific intelligence, the STF team tracked and apprehended the couple,' an STF statement revealed. In 2007, the Srivastavas founded 'Infocons Consultants Private Limited' in Prayagraj, where they duped job seekers with false job assurances in exchange for security deposits. The couple later fled to Delhi and continued their deceptive practices before settling in Ahmedabad, where they formed another firm, 'Gymni Software', and operated a virtual office in Dubai. The STF will present the arrested couple before an additional district sessions judge in Ahmedabad for transit remand proceedings.

(With inputs from agencies.)