Carrying a ₹50,000 reward on his arrest, Afsar was wanted in a case registered in Bareilly involving charges of extortion, intimidation, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Prisons Act and CLA Act, officials said.

According to officials, acting on intelligence inputs, the Prayagraj field unit of STF traced Afsar to Kalka Road near Sapna Stand, Amar Colony police station area, South-East Delhi. He was arrested at around 6:45 am on Wednesday. The accused, a native of Sallahpur village within Puramufti police station limits in Prayagraj, had been absconding since the filing of case at Bareilly's Bithri Chainpur police station in March 2023.

STF officials said Afsar was a trusted aide of Ashraf, who was lodged in Bareilly jail prior to his death. During Ashraf's incarceration, Afsar regularly visited him in jail and facilitated meetings for other gang members using his own ID. Those who met Ashraf during these visits included Azhar, Lalla Gaddi, Guddu Muslim, Sabir and Armaan.

According to the STF, during these meetings, Ashraf and his associates allegedly plotted attacks on witnesses and coordinated other criminal activities from inside the prison. These activities led to the registration of the 2023 Bareilly FIR in which Afsar was named. To evade arrest, he fled to Delhi and had been living in hiding. Afsar had previously been named in multiple criminal cases in Prayagraj and Kaushambi, officials added.

The accused has been handed over to Bithri Chainpur police in Bareilly, where he has been formally booked in the pending case. Further legal proceedings will be carried out by the local police, officials said.