Dowry death accused deported from Saudi lands in city jail

Lucknow: In a first,
Lucknow Police
used air transit and flew back a
dowry death
accused who had been
deported from Saudi Arabia
. The accused, on the run for over 20 months, was arrested at Mumbai Airport. Police used air transit to bring him back to face trial. The accused,
Akil
, was absconding since Jul 2023 after allegedly abetting suicide of his wife over dowry demands.Resident of Mahipatmau village in Lucknow's Dubagga area, Akil was arrested on Apr 26 at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport following deportation from Saudi Arabia. He was detained by immigration officials and handed over to Sahar Police before being taken into custody the next day by a team of Dubagga police personnel that arrived with a transit remand order issued by Bandra Holiday Court, allowing them to fly the accused back to Lucknow on May 5.According to police, Akil's wife,
Arshi
, ended her life in Jul 2023, allegedly over persistent harassment for dowry of Rs 5 lakh and a motorcycle.
FIR was lodged at Dubagga police station on Jul 18, 2023, by Arshi's father, Mohammad Hafeez, resident of Hussainabad, Thakurganj.ACP, Kakori, Shakeel Ahmad, said as investigations progressed, Akil had fled the country. A lookout circular was issued against him approved by ministry of home affairs on Apr 4, 2025, following which his passport was impounded with help of regional passport office.
Police also secured a non-bailable warrant and a court proclamation under Section 82 CrPC, formally declaring him an absconder.After deportation, Akil was flown to Lucknow, in a rare move by district police to employ international coordination and commercial air travel for a dowry case accused. "Akil was produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Lucknow and remanded to judicial custody," said the officer.Ahmad said sections 498A (cruelty) and 304B (dowry death) of IPC, and Sections 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, were applied. A senior officer from Lucknow Police said the case set a precedent for how cooperation between MHA, immigration authorities, passport office and foreign enforcement counterparts—can lead to accountability in sensitive cases involving crimes against women.

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