Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former party treasurer Kaish Khan was arrested on Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj after police found him hiding behind a mattress in his brother’s house. UP Police acted on a tip-off and searched the house thoroughly before arresting him.

Khan, known to be close to former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, had been ordered by the Kannauj District Magistrate, Ashutosh Mohan Agnihotri, on July 28 to stay out of Kannauj district for six months. The court had directed him to leave the district immediately.

Since the ban, Kaish Khan had not appeared in the district. However, on Wednesday, police received information that he was in his neighbourhood in Balapeer.

Acting on a tip-off, police conducted searches at both his residence and his brother’s house but did not locate him initially. They later found him hiding behind a mattress on a cot in one of the rooms and subsequently took him into custody.

"He was arrested while relaxing at his house. Later, it was discovered he had also tried to hide in the loft to evade us," Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar told reporters.

Kumar also added that the Samajwadi Party leader has several criminal cases against him. A case under section 3 and 10 of the Goonda Act will be registered against him.

Earlier this year, on January 6, bulldozer action was taken on Kaish Khan’s marriage hall after he was accused of illegally occupying a road in the municipality area by placing a lintel on it.

On July 25, SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav visited Kannauj and met Kaish Khan. Three days later, on July 28, the district ban was imposed on Kaish Khan.

Source: India Today