Ghaziabad: Tailor-turned-killer arrested after 26 years of chase

New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, the Anti-Robbery and Snatching Cell (ARSC) of Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested a life convict and parole jumper who evaded authorities for 26 years.

Raj Kishore alias Bade Lalla, 55, was convicted for kidnapping and murdering an eight-year-old boy in 1993 and had been absconding since 1999 after being released on parole.

According to police, Raj Kishore, a resident of Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh, had abducted the young son of a garment factory owner and demanded a ransom of Rs 30,000.

After collecting the money, he strangled the child and dumped the body in a drain near Kalyanpuri.

A case was registered under IPC Sections 302, 363, and 364A at PS Kalyanpuri. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996 by a Delhi court. However, in 1999, he was granted six weeks' parole by the Delhi High Court, after which the accused escaped.

His appeal was dismissed in 2009, and he was declared a proclaimed offender in 2014.

The ARSC team, led by Inspectors Mangesh Tyagi and Robin Tyagi under the supervision of ACP Pankaj Arora, launched an intensive manhunt. Head Constable Mintu Yadav received a tip-off about Kishore's presence in Kanpur.

Despite several failed attempts due to local support for the accused, the team finally nabbed him from Khoda Colony, Ghaziabad, on Saturday.

During interrogation, Kishore revealed he had been hiding across India - in Patna for four years, Jaipur for 13, and Barnala for three.

"During this hiding period, he occasionally used to visit his hometown in Kanpur. Later, during Covid period, he started living in his native place and adjoining area in Kanpur Dehat (UP) and established his shop of tailoring," said Delhi Police in a statement.

The police said the arrest marks the culmination of a two-month-long operation involving over 10 officers and a combination of technical surveillance and human intelligence.

--IANS

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