According to the police, the accused, identified as Ashik Ali (55), a native of Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar, was nabbed from Surat, Gujarat, following a well-coordinated operation led by Inspector Manmeet Malik and his team.
File Photo: IANS
Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a man who had been on the run for over 16 years in connection with a gruesome murder and beheading case registered at Bindapur police station in 2009, an official said on Saturday.
According to the police, the accused, identified as Ashik Ali (55), a native of Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar, was nabbed from Surat, Gujarat, following a well-coordinated operation led by Inspector Manmeet Malik and his team. A reward of Rs 25,000 had been announced for his arrest.
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“On January 5, 2009, a headless body packed inside an iron box was recovered from the Bindapur area. The victim was identified as Harish Chand, alias Babloo,” said Aditya Gautam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime).
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Investigations revealed that Harish had a monetary dispute with his relative Banarsi Lal, who, along with his associate Ali, murdered and beheaded him in an attempt to conceal the crime, the DCP added.
“Lal was later arrested, tried, and sentenced to life imprisonment, while Ali managed to evade arrest and was declared a proclaimed offender in 2011,” Gautam mentioned.
Acting on a tip-off, a team was dispatched to Surat. Using a mix of technical surveillance and human intelligence, the team apprehended Ali on Wednesday.
During the sustained interrogation with Ali, he admitted to having helped Lal in murdering Harish following a heated altercation over money. He also confessed to aiding in disposing of the body and hiding evidence.
Police said the accused had been living in Surat’s Bhaiya Nagar locality under a false identity, working as a tailor and frequently relocating with his family to avoid detection, the DCP stated.
Further legal proceedings and investigations into his prolonged evasion are underway, the officer asserted.
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