Hathras stampede: Main accused fled to Delhi after incident, now in custody

Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the July 2 Hathras stampede that claimed 121 lives, had fled to Delhi after the deadly episode before Uttar Pradesh Police got him into its custody late last night, officials said.

Madhukar's lawyer A P Singh late Friday night claimed his client had surrendered to the police in Delhi.

A police official told PTI that Madhukar was picked up by a Special Operations Group (SOG) team of Hathras police.

"He was taken into custody from Delhi, near Najafgarh area," another police officer in Hathras said, requesting anonymity.

However, police are yet to officially announce the arrest of Madhukar, the 'mukhya sevadar' of the 'satsang' where the stampede occurred. He is the only accused named in the FIR lodged at Sikandra Rao police station in Hathras in connection with the incident.

In a video message, Madhukar's lawyer A P Singh claimed that his client had surrendered in Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment.

"Today, we have surrendered Devpraka