LUCKNOW, Sept. 15 -- An absconding employee of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), accused of embezzling over Rs.52 lakh from government funds, was arrested by Lucknow police on Sunday night. The accused, Ajay Kumar Verma, 40, had been on the run since April 2024 and carried a cash reward of Rs.15,000.

Police said Verma, a resident of Indira Nagar, was posted as an executive assistant in the UPPCL. He allegedly withdrew Rs.97.24 lakh while depositing only Rs.44.69 lakh, thereby misappropriating Rs.52,55,422. A complaint was filed last year by executive engineer Vishnu Kumar Saxena, after which Verma went into hiding.

Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the North Zone surveillance squad and Aliganj police traced him nea...