Girdhari Lal Sahu, also known as Pappu Girdhari, is in custody after Dehradun police arrested him in Jhansi. The arrest followed a case filed by his wife, Uttarakhand cabinet minister Rekha Arya, and came after he remained away from investigators for 25 days.
His name has also been linked in police records and past reporting to the Bareilly Jain couple murder case, a missing court file and several serious criminal allegations. The available account does not establish guilt in every case, and the allegations remain matters for investigation or legal proceedings.
The Bareilly murder case and missing court records
The Jain couple murder in Bareilly’s Civil Lines area was described as the incident that marked Pappu Girdhari’s entry into organised crime. The case became one of the city’s most discussed double-murder investigations and was reported to have shocked Uttar Pradesh.
In 2013, when the trial was at an advanced stage, the original case file reportedly disappeared from a double locker in the court record room. The missing material included the case diary and other important documents. The disappearance caused concern within the judicial administration.
Following orders from the district judge and directions from the Allahabad High Court, officials began the lengthy process of reconstructing the case file. The account also says Pappu Girdhari repeatedly used legal proceedings to seek a transfer of the case and delay the hearing. It does not establish who removed the file.
Police record and criminal allegations
Pappu Girdhari, a resident of Joginawada in Bareilly’s Baradari police station area, has been described in police records as a long-standing history-sheeter of the station. His record reportedly began with a rioting case in 1981.
The account says 39 cases involving murder and the Gangsters Act were later registered against him. It also links him to allegations involving land disputes, intimidation and violence in Bareilly and parts of Uttarakhand.
In October 2017, former employee Naresh Gangwar filed a police complaint alleging that Pappu Girdhari took him to Sri Lanka on the pretext of a foreign trip and that his kidney was removed there through deception. The complaint led to attention in political and administrative circles, but the material supplied here does not provide a final finding in that matter.
Another allegation emerged after a June 2024 shooting at a marble shop on Bareilly’s Pilibhit Bypass. The dispute reportedly involved an attempted takeover of the shop, hundreds of rounds of gunfire and a bulldozer being set on fire. Rajiv Rana, identified as the main accused in that case, released a video alleging that Pappu Girdhari was the mastermind. That claim was an allegation by an accused person and is not presented here as an established fact.
Move to Uttarakhand and political influence
Pappu Girdhari began his political activity as a councillor from Bareilly Municipal Corporation’s Joginawada ward. After police action reportedly barred him from Bareilly district, he moved towards Nainital and the Terai region of Uttarakhand.
The account says he later married BJP leader Rekha Arya and supported her political campaigns while keeping himself in the background. After Arya became a cabinet minister, his influence was alleged to have expanded across government contracts, colonies and land holdings in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Several cases involving alleged land grabbing and intimidation were also reported in Kichha and Udham Singh Nagar. The supplied material does not give the case numbers, current status or court outcomes for those matters.
FIR by Rekha Arya and arrest
The latest legal development began on 15 October 2026, when Rekha Arya filed an FIR against her husband at Dehradun’s Cantonment police station. Her complaint alleged that he concealed his first marriage before marrying her.
She further alleged repeated physical assault, mental harassment and the use of caste-based insults. The complaint also alleged that forged signatures were used to remove her as a company director and that a contract was given for the killing of Arya and her children.
Pappu Girdhari went missing after the case was registered. Reports also suggested that he might have fled to Nepal. After a non-bailable warrant was issued and a court rejected his anticipatory bail plea, a Dehradun police Special Investigation Team arrested him in Jhansi after 25 days.
The arrest does not determine the truth of the allegations. Their legal status will depend on the investigation, evidence and subsequent court proceedings.
Conclusion
Pappu Girdhari’s reported criminal history stretches from a 1981 rioting case and the Bareilly Jain couple murder case to allegations recorded in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. His latest confirmed development in the supplied account is his arrest in Jhansi after an FIR filed by Rekha Arya, with the allegations still subject to legal process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who is Pappu Girdhari?
Girdhari Lal Sahu, known as Pappu Girdhari, is described as a Bareilly history-sheeter and former municipal councillor who later moved to Uttarakhand.
Q. Why was Pappu Girdhari arrested?
He was arrested after Rekha Arya filed an FIR against him at Dehradun’s Cantonment police station on 15 October 2026.
Q. Where was he arrested?
A Dehradun police Special Investigation Team arrested him in Jhansi after he remained away from investigators for 25 days.
Q. What happened to the Jain couple murder case file?
The original case file reportedly disappeared from a double locker in the court record room in 2013. The district court later began reconstructing it following directions from the Allahabad High Court.
Q. How many criminal cases are linked to his police record?
The supplied account says 39 cases involving murder and the Gangsters Act were registered against him.
