4 members of criminal gang nabbed

Four alleged members of a notorious gang of criminals, including one who had fled from police custody, have been arrested here, police said today.
The members were arrested in a joint operation by the Special Task Force and Lucknow Police, a STF release said.
Rana Pratap Singh, Akhilesh Yadav, Radhey Shyam Singh and Arvind Mal, members of the Chandan Singh gang, were arrested from a hotel in Hazratganj area here last night, it said.
They had come here to meet Chandan Singh presently lodged in a jail. They, however, could not meet him.
A mobile phone, fake voter ID, PAN card, three ATM cards and a car have been seized from them, it said.

Rana Pratap Singh had fled from the police custody while being taken to a court in Sant Kabirnagar from Gorakhpur jail in September this year, it said.

He had been running the gang ever since he fled from the police custody and was making extortion calls with the help of his accomplices in Gorakhpur to doctors, contractors and others.
Cases have been lodged in different police stations there, the release said.
Pinku is also wanted in 21 cases in Gorakhpur, Barabanki and Sant Kabirnagar.