Shrikant Tyagi held, got ‘vidhayak’ tag through S P Maurya reported the Police.

Shrikant Tyagi, booked by Police last Friday after he was caught on video pushing and maltreating a woman at the Grand Omaxe residential society in Noida, was arrested from Meerut this Tuesday.

Senior Uttar Pradesh Police officers said Tyagi, absconding ever since an FIR was recorded against him, kept switching locations and devices to avoid arrest.

Noida Police Commissioner Alok Singh said Tyagi reported that he had got the “vidhayak” (MLA) tag on one of his vehicles “via (former MLA) Swami Prasad Maurya.”

Swami Prasad Maurya, a former BJP MLA, entered the Samajwadi Party (SP) before the Assembly elections earlier this year. He lost the elections and is presently a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC). He confronted reporters in Kushinagar on Tuesday and denied having given the “vidhayak” sticker, and said he had not met Tyagi for the last four years.

The tag and VIP number plates, according to a Noida Police press release, were aimed at creating fear among the public. Police said Tyagi would also use his uncle’s licensed pistol to instill fear.

Police said that a bounty of Rs 25,000 was allocated for Tyagi’s arrest, and CCTV footage was collected from several locations to trace him. Although Police were repeatedly on his tail, Tyagi would escape just 15-20 minutes before Police would reach his last traced location, said sources.

“He went to Delhi airport and then left for Meerut on Friday. The next day, he changed all his devices and left for Rishikesh via Haridwar. On Sunday, he re-entered UP. After Sunday evening, he changed his devices and then was traced around Meerut, Baghpat, and Muzaffarnagar. He kept moving around in different vehicles and was on the run for almost three-and-a-half days. Our teams kept tracking his movements and the various vehicles. We caught him from Meerut today,” said Singh.