Gonda (UP), Mar 16 (IANS): A man accused of abduction and carrying of a bounty of Rs 25,000, turned up at a police station in Gonda with a placard hung around his neck and a message scribbled on it - 'I am surrendering, please don't open fire at me.'

The video of the dramatic surrender has gone viral on social media. This is the first such surrender after the Yogi Adityanath government returned to power last week.

The criminal Gautam Singh and two other accomplices are accused of abduction of a chicken-feed trader and demanding a ransom of Rs 20 lakh for his release.

SP, Gonda, Santosh Mishra said after the kidnapping on March 7, the police launched a manhunt for the accused and arrested two accused, Zubair and Raj Kumar Yadav, but the main accused, Gautam Singh, was on the run.

"We announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for any clues on Singh. And as police raids continued across the district, he along with his brother Anil came out of hiding a week later and surrendered at Chhapia thana," said Mishra.

The gang members, including Gautam had kidnapped the trader, Sheel Prakash, from his shop and held him hostage in a car for three hours, demanding Rs 20 lakh ransom for his release.