35-yr-old fakes death to escape trial, arrested

At the time that he faked his death, he was being summoned in some of the cases with the police looking to detain him.

A 35-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur was arrested in Delhi almost four years after he allegedly faked his death to escape trial in multiple cases of theft, burglary and illegal firearm possession.

35-yr-old fakes death to escape trial, arrested

Family and friends of the accused, Virender Vimal, a resident of Mungeshpur village in Delhi, declared he was dead after he forged documents in 2021 to avoid non-bailable warrants issued by a Delhicourt.

Police said Vimal is a habitual offender and is wanted in four cases, including house break ins, theft and illegal possession of arms, registered in 2020 at Bawana police station in northwest Delhi. At the time that he faked his death, he was being summoned in some of the cases with the police looking to detain him.

“He allegedly managed to obtain a forged Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) death certificate with the help of a friend. He changed the name and showed his death on August 24, 2021, following which court proceedings in his cases were abated,” DCP (Crime) Aditya Gautam said.

However, police said they recently re-examined the case and found discrepancies in the death record. Doctors and MCD officials they spoke to then confirmed that the certificate was wrong.

“Upon scrutiny, it was established that no such death had occurred and that the certificate had been fabricated to mislead the court,” Gautam said.

Police said they conducted extensive digital tracking and field verification. Following technical and manual surveillance, the accused was traced and apprehended from Gorakhpur.

The police said the accused’s identity was confirmed using Crime Kundli, a biometric database, and Facial Recognition System (FRS) software, which matched his latest photograph with past police records.

Vimal is involved in at least four cases registered at Bawana police station, including burglaries at industrial units and private residences, which he typically targeted at night, theft of vehicles, and possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition.

He was also found in possession of a stolen SUV in one of the cases, police said.

Police said that each time he was arrested, he would commit a new crime after he was released. “To permanently evade justice, he faked his own death and produced the forged certificate before court,” an officer said.