PRAYAGRAJ, May 26 -- The Special Task Force (STF) on Sunday arrested Arshad alias Ashad, a wanted member of a cattle smuggling gang and a gangster carrying a cash reward of Rs.50,000 on his head, from near Annava village in Pratapgarh. Acting on a tip-off, an STF team cordoned off the area under Maheshganj police station limits and arrested Arshad, a resident of Mubarakpur village in Nawabganj police station area of Pratapgarh. STF circle officer Shailesh Pratap Singh said the reward had been announced after the Gangster Act was invoked against Arshad in a case registered at Maheshganj police station. Singh added that the STF team received intelligence suggesting Arshad was in the area and attempting to flee from Pratapgarh to evade arrest. Acting swiftly, a team led by STF sub-inspector Vinay Tiwari apprehended him. During interrogation, Arshad confessed to being part of an organised gang involved in cattle smuggling for several years. His gang includes members like Ranjeet Kumar Yadav and Harishankar Bind. Arshad has half a dozen criminal cases registered against him in various police stations, including Jethwara and Maheshganj in Pratapgarh, and Soraon and Civil Lines in Prayagraj. He was previously arrested in a cow slaughter case registered at Soraon police station in 2020 and sent to jail. After his release, he resumed cattle smuggling with his gang. In 2024, he was booked again under cow slaughter and cattle smuggling charges at Maheshganj police station. A chargesheet in that case has already been filed in court. In 2025, another case under the Gangster Act was registered against him at Maheshganj police station, following which he went into hiding, the STF official added....