Shariq Satha had fled to Dubai using a forged passport

NEW DELHI: Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice against fugitive gangster Shariq Satha, who police allege was the mastermind behind the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal in November 2024, a senior police officer said.A Red Corner Notice is an international request to law-enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.“Satha was previously declared a fugitive offender by a court, with proceedings initiated for the attachment of his property. Efforts will now be made to get him arrested and extradited from whichever country he is in, ensuring that he faces legal action for the 2024 incident as well as for the 55 to 60 other criminal cases previously registered against him,” then-Sambhal SP KK Bishnoi, now in charge of Bijnor, told reporters on Friday.“Following the completion of the necessary formalities, the Uttar Pradesh Police had requested the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to get Interpol to issue a Red Corner Notice against him. A lookout circular was already issued against him,” Bishnoi added.Satha had fled to Dubai using a forged passport, while members of his family have frequently travelled there. Police kept him under close surveillance and submitted a detailed dossier to the CBI, subsequently coordinating with Interpol for the issuance of the Red Corner Notice.According to police, Satha was involved in several organised criminal activities, including vehicle thefts, across the National Capital Region (NCR) and Uttar Pradesh while operating from abroad.Tension erupted in Sambhal on November 24, 2024, when local protesters clashed with security forces during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. The survey followed claims that a Harihar temple had previously stood at the site.

Four people were killed and dozens injured in the violence.During the investigation, Satha emerged as the alleged prime conspirator in the case. Despite multiple police raids, he could not be traced, following which a notice under Section 84 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was pasted at his residence.