Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested Mahfooz, who carried a reward of Rs 50,000, from Nalanda district in Bihar. He was wanted in a cow slaughter case registered at Koraon police station in Prayagraj.
The STF's Bareilly field unit carried out the operation on 5 October 2026. According to the STF, he had been hiding in Islampur in Nalanda for a long time to evade arrest.
The STF identified the accused as Mahfooz, son of Farooq, a resident of Chamrauwa under Shahzadnagar police station in Rampur district. He was arrested on the evening of 5 October from a lane in Islampur. After the arrest, he was lodged at Koraon police station in Prayagraj. The STF said further legal action will be taken by the local police.
Tip-off led team to Nalanda
The STF said it had been gathering information on wanted accused with rewards on their heads across various districts of Uttar Pradesh. During this exercise, the Bareilly unit learnt that Mahfooz was hiding in Nalanda.
The team, led by Sub-Inspector Dhoom Singh and supervised by Additional Superintendent of Police Abdul Qadir, reached Islampur on an informant's tip-off. The STF said it identified Mahfooz from the description it had been given and arrested him.
Case registered in October 2025
The STF said case crime number 271/25 was registered against Mahfooz at Koraon police station on 9 October 2025. He was booked under Sections 3, 5A and 8 of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, Section 11D of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 4/25 of the Arms Act.
According to the STF, he kept changing locations after the case was registered and later settled in Nalanda, far from Prayagraj. During questioning, he told the team that he was living in Islampur. The STF added that his car was also seized by the police during action in the same case.
Two earlier cases
The STF said three cases against Mahfooz have come to light so far. The first was registered in 2018 at Milak police station in Rampur under the Cow Slaughter Prevention Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code. The second was registered in 2023 at Taraya Sujan police station in Kushinagar under the Cow Slaughter Prevention Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The third is the 2025 Koraon case.