New Delhi: Noida politician Shrikant Tyagi, who was on the run after a video of him verbally abusing a woman went viral, was arrested by Uttar Pradesh police from Meerut today.
The arrest comes after Tyagi's lawyer moved a surrender application in a Greater Noida court and the UP police announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for information about him.
According to police sources, Tyagi was arrested from his aide's home at Shraddhapuri on the outskirts of Meerut. He had planned to go to Saharanpur via Dehradun, Haridwar and Rishikesh, the sources said, adding that the politician was in touch with his wife and lawyer.
The Uttar Pradesh administration cracked down hard against Tyagi after a video of him verbally abusing and assaulting a woman at Noida's Grand Omaxe society went viral. Yesterday, a bulldozer rolled into the residential society and razed illegal structures at Tyagi's residence. He was also charged under the state's stringent Goonda Act.
Tyagi claimed to be a member of the BJP Kisan Morcha and his social media handles had several pictures of him posing with top BJP leaders, including party chief JP Nadda. While the BJP has denied any association with him, the Opposition has targeted the ruling party over Tyagi.
Residents of the society accused him of threatening and intimidating them. After the video went viral, some of his supporters had reached the society and started asking about the woman in the video. This led to a face-off between them and residents. Police eventually rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
As the UP police started looking for Tyagi, they found that he was a serial offender with 9 past cases against him under serious charges such as attempt to murder and extortion.
The police also found several vehicles belonging to Tyagi. One of them had an Assembly pass meant for MLAs and a flag of the BJP. Another car had BJP Yuva Morcha written on it.
The administration also found that Tyagi's family owns about 50 shops in Noida and receive lakhs of rupees in rent. The administration has now conducted a survey to find if there is any illegality involved.