Bareilly cafe attack: Key accused surrenders weeks after vigilante mob stormed birthday party

According to police, three criminal cases are registered against him at the Subhash Nagar police station. In 2022, he was booked for theft and assault, and in 2024, he was named in an attempt-to-murder case. He is also an accused in an extortion case.

The police had previously invoked the Uttar Pradesh Goonda Act against him.

On December 27 last year, nearly two dozen vigilantes allegedly stormed a café where a nursing student was celebrating her birthday and assaulted those present. Videos of the incident later went viral on social media. The attack was purportedly over their objection to the presence of two youths from the Muslim community at the party.

Police had earlier arrested five people — Ashish alias Paras Johri, Mridul alias Manish Dubey, Akash, Deepak, and Prince Singh — who were identified during the probe into the incident.

The 22-year-old student had earlier told The Indian Express that the incident left her distressed and afraid to step out of her house. “I feel deeply ashamed that my friends were harassed and assaulted… Do I now need to choose my friends based on their religion?” the woman had said.