Chandigarh, Oct 31 (PTI) Haryana Police on Monday arrested the alleged kingpin of a gang of cattle thieves, who had been evading arrest since 2019.

Arshad alias Data, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly involved in cattle thefts in Haryana and Punjab areas, a police spokesperson said, adding that he was arrested from a bus stand in Hisar.

Also Read | Red Light on Gaadi off: Delhi Govt Resubmits File 'With Evidence' for LG Vinai Kumar Saxena's Nod.

"Arshad's arrest has helped the police solve many cases of buffalo theft registered in Hisar, Bhiwani, Jind, Hansi, Ambala, Panipat and Sonipat districts of Haryana," he said.

According to the official, Arshad was also involved in 25 criminal cases in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.

Also Read | Workforce Reduction: Overall Job Cuts No More Than 5% To Avoid Role Duplication, Says BYJU's CEO Raveendran.

"During preliminary interrogation, the accused confessed that after stealing buffaloes, he used to sell them at cattle fairs and other places in Uttar Pradesh," he said.

Arshad had been hiding in Himachal Pradesh, and Muzaffarnagar and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh to evade arrest, the official said.

Three of his aides Gufraan, Dharmendra and Sajid, all natives of Uttar Pradesh with whom he used to steal cattle, were arrested in 2019 soon after incidents of cattle theft were reported, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)