Former IPS Officer Amitabh Thakur Arrested by UP STF in Deoria Land Fraud Probe

Former IPS officer and Azad Adhikar Sena chief Amitabh Thakur was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force on Wednesday while travelling from Lucknow to Delhi. Officials stated that the action was taken due to his alleged non-cooperation in an ongoing investigation into a land allotment fraud linked to Deoria. After his detention, he was produced in court and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.

The case stems from the allotment of industrial plot B-2 at the District Industries Centre in Deoria. According to the FIR, the plot was obtained using forged documents and alleged misuse of official authority during Thakur’s tenure as SP Deoria. The complaint was filed by a resident of Lucknow’s Talkatora area, naming both Thakur and his wife, activist Dr Nutan Thakur.

Investigators claim that the application for the industrial plot contained incorrect personal details attributed to Nutan Thakur, including a false address in Bihar. Police officials said these discrepancies formed the core of the charges that led to the formation of a Special Investigation Team to verify documents and witness accounts.

An SIT led by ACP Chowk Rajkumar Singh examined records in Deoria, cross-checked the listed address in Bihar, and recorded multiple statements. The findings were considered substantial enough to justify Thakur’s arrest. Sources said he was questioned for nearly an hour before being taken for a medical check-up and then produced before court amid tight security.

Authorities confirmed that efforts are underway to locate co-accused Nutan Thakur, whose role is being scrutinized based on the submitted documents. Meanwhile, she publicly alleged that her husband was taken from a train near Shahjahanpur around midnight by individuals in plain clothes. She later learned of his arrest and claimed the matter was a decades-old civil dispute being reframed as a criminal case.

Amitabh Thakur, a 1992-batch IPS officer, began his career as SP Gorakhpur and held several key postings before being compulsorily retired in 2021. He later founded the Azad Adhikar Sena and became its national president. His wife has long been active in public-interest campaigns and legal advocacy.

As investigations continue, officials emphasize that the case revolves primarily around document integrity, procedural compliance, and the use of official influence in administrative allotments. Such situations underscore the growing need for transparent financial review systems supported by professional auditing services in india