VARANASI: Intelligence Bureau (IB) sleuths nabbed a fraudster wanted by the police of three states at the immigration checkpost of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Babatpur on Friday evening when he was about to board an Air India flight to Kathmandu. He was trying to escape to Sharjah via Nepal.
Police said Prateek Kumar was wanted by the police of Maharashtra, Delhi and Rajasthan in connection with several cases of property fraud. A look-out circular (LOC) issued by the Delhi Police enabled the sleuths nab the accused. Teams from Delhi and Rajasthan police are expected to reach the city by Sunday afternoon to interrogate Prateek.
DIG (IB) Balbir Singh said: “Prateek, who was based in Pune (Maharashtra), was nabbed at Babatpur airport while trying to board an Air India flight to Kathmandu (Nepal).”DIG (Range) A Satish Ganesh said: “IB has handed over Prateek to Phoolpur police.”
Prateek was in real estate business and had committed a number of frauds. Following his involvement in cases of property fraud, the Maharashtra police issued a notice against him. However, Prateek moved court and procured relief. He went into hiding after another case was lodged against him with Tilak Nagar police in West Delhi district in 2013. Later, DCP (west) of West Delhi district, issued an LOC (no 2013412475) against him in case (crime no. 474/13, 21/09/2013, 420 IPC).
As details were available in the LOC, Prateek was nabbed when he produced his passport for immigration clearance. Rajasthan cops got a whiff of Prateek’s arrest after IB officials informed the Maharashtra and Delhi police about the same.
In the past, Babatpur airport had been used by criminals to flee to neighbouring country. Direct flights to Kathmandu and Colombo were available from the airport even before it was upgraded to an international one. There was no central agency like IB to handle immigration check post.
However, Prateek’s arrest would have a discouraging impact on the criminals trying to flee to neighbouring countries from Babatpur, police said.
