LUCKNOW, March 28 -- The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Thursday apprehended an accused carrying a Rs.30,000 reward, who had been on the run for the past 16 years. He was wanted in connection with two dacoity cases and violations under the Arms Act registered in Surat, Gujarat, according to senior police officials in a press note released to the media on Friday. The accused, Shailendra Kumar Singh alias Raju Singh, a resident of Khajurn village under Badlapur police station in Jaunpur district, was apprehended from Sector 9 of Vrindavan Yojana under the jurisdiction of PGI police station in Lucknow. He was wanted in two cases registered in 2010 at the Adajan and Khattodra police stations in Surat, involving charges of dacoity with grievous hurt and violations of the Arms Act. He had been evading arrest ever since, prompting authorities to announce a cash reward for his capture. Acting on specific intelligence about his presence in Lucknow, STF teams launched a targeted operation. A joint effort involving STF Lucknow and Surat Crime Branch officials led to his arrest. Police investigations revealed that Singh moved to Gujarat in 2009 in search of work, where he allegedly joined four associates in carrying out a major dacoity involving around one kilogram of gold and multiple victims. While his accomplices were arrested shortly after the incident, Singh fled the state to avoid arrest. He is reported to have moved between Mumbai and his native Jaunpur before eventually settling in Lucknow, where he had been living discreetly for several years. Officials added that legal formalities are in progress.htc...