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Journalism of Courage
Saharanpur police Wednesday evening doubled the reward for information leading to the arrest of fugitive former BSP MLC Mohammed Haji Iqbal (58) in connection with nearly three dozen cases, including gangrape, land grab, fraud and illegal mining registered against his name.
The award, initially of Rs 25,000 declared on August 28, 2022, was first doubled to Rs 50,000 on September 18,2022 before being further doubled to Rs 1 lakh after he remained untraceable over the past 10 months.
“The fugitive has 35 cases registered against him in and around Saharanpur. We have formed six teams to trace him. Four of his five sons — Wazid Iqbal, Afzal, Javed and Alishan — and his younger brother Mehmood, are already in jail in connection with these cases, including the one of gangrape,” said Saharanpur SSP Vipin Tada.
Mehmood, also a former BSP MLC (2016-2022), was arrested by Saharanpur police from Mumbai in July 2022, in the gang rape case, in which Haji Iqbal and three of his sons are co-accused. Both brothers were sent to the UP Upper House by BSP for one term each.
Haji Iqbal first hit the headlines when the UP government bulldozed several “illegal” properties he owned in Saharanpur and its surroundings, in a series of well publicised drives, using the controversial UP Gangsters and Anti Social Activities (Prevention) Act. P:olice also confiscated 148 properties worth Rs 203 crore — registered in the names of Iqbal’s relatives, or by him using false names, while Uttarakhand Police also seized properties worth Rs 200 crore in relatives’ names.
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