Jhansi: A 58-year-old man with criminal antecedents, wanted in a 33-year-old robbery case in Hardoi district, was arrested by police in Jhansi late Saturday while allegedly masquerading as a godman and running a ‘divya darbar’ that attracted devotees from India and abroad.According to reports, he had more than one lakh followers on Instagram. He was often seen wearing an army uniform while meeting his disciples at his ashram.The accused, identified as Pradeep Shukla alias Kali Sarkar alias Natroz, was arrested in a joint operation by Hardoi and Mauranipur police from his hideout in Kurencha village, under the jurisdiction of Mauranipur police station. He had allegedly evaded arrest for years by assuming the identity of a spiritual leader.According to police, Shukla originally hails from Chauhan Thok in Hardoi’s Kotwali area, where he is wanted in several criminal cases. He was also wanted in a 1993 robbery case and was subsequently booked in an assault case. Courts had issued warrants against him after he repeatedly failed to appear for hearings.After fleeing Hardoi, Shukla allegedly settled in Jhansi under an assumed identity and began projecting himself as a godman, adopting the name Satyanand Shukla alias Kali Sarkar. He established a following at a temple in Kurencha village, where he organised religious gatherings and claimed to offer solutions to people’s problems, including illnesses.Circle officer Mauranipur Ratneshwar Singh said police intensified the search after receiving information about Shukla’s whereabouts in Jhansi. A joint team subsequently raided his hideout and arrested him. Hardoi police took the accused into custody and returned after securing a transit remand.
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