A most wanted criminal from Uttar Pradesh carrying a reward of Rs 50, 000 on his head was arrested in suburban Madhavaram last night.

Sleuths of the Special Task Force (STF) and Chennai suburban police, in a joint operation, arrested Israr Paggal who was accused in crimes such as kidnapping, murder and attack on policemen.

Israr, who had been absconding for the past nine years, hails from Unnao district. He came to Chennai where he was working as a scrap-dealer near north Perumbakkam under the Madhavaram police station limits.

Based on a tip-off that Paggal had shifted his base to Chennai, UP police sought the help of Suburban Police Commissioner S R Jangid. In a subsequent joint operation, police trapped him near Madhavaram.

Paggal was allegedly involved in at least 37 cases of heinous crime registered with the Beconganj police station in Kanpur. He was notorious in Kanpur and Lucknow and had injured a sub-inspector in Gomtinagar, Lucknow. He used to extort money from many of the high profile people of the Industrial City.

Keeping in view his criminal activities, the UP police had also announced a reward of Rs 50,000 on his arrest.
Paggal is a wanted criminal and his name also figures into a kidnapping incident reported with the Gangaghat police station in Unnao on 5 May 2000.

The accused along with his associates had abducted an 18-year-old youth Farhatullah, son of Zafarullah of Gangaghat. The accused had demanded Rs 5 lakh as a ransom for the safe release of the youth.Paggal will be produced before the Chennai Metropolitan Magistrate Court later today and taken to Kanpur later.