Convicted absconder in 1989 murder case arrested in Delhi after years on the run

Convicted absconder in 1989 murder case arrested in Delhi after years on the run

New Delhi, A convicted absconder in a 1989 murder case has been arrested, nearly nine years after the Delhi High Court upheld his conviction, police said on Monday.

Convicted absconder in 1989 murder case arrested in Delhi after years on the run

The accused, identified as Sushil Kumar alias Guddu, 57, had been evading arrest since 2017 after failing to surrender despite the court's directions, they said.

The police arrested Kumar, who was a proclaimed offender in a case registered against him in 1989 at Krishna Nagar, on Saturday from Delhi's Shahdara, they said.

He was convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2000. His conviction was later upheld by the Delhi High Court, but he absconded instead of complying with the court's orders, police said.

The breakthrough came when a team from the crime branch was tasked with tracing convicted absconders, police said, adding that they began working on the decades-old case despite limited records and the absence of photographs of the accused.

"Given the age of the case, there were no readily available records or visual identification details. The accused had also disposed of his previous residence long ago, making tracing more challenging," a senior police officer said.

The team analysed digital records related to appeal proceedings before the Delhi High Court and developed crucial leads.

Acting on specific inputs, they tracked the accused to a rented accommodation in West Jyoti Nagar in Delhi's Shahdara. The police conducted a raid on Saturday and apprehended and arrested Kumar.

"The case dates back to the intervening night of October 6-7, 1989, when a quarrel broke out during a Ram Lila event in the Gyan Park area of Krishna Nagar. During the altercation, the accused allegedly stabbed a man, identified as Vivek, in the neck, leading to his death," the officer said.

Kumar was initially arrested and later granted bail in 1993. However, after his conviction was upheld years later, he failed to surrender and remained on the run until his arrest, the officer said.

Police records show that he was also previously involved in a case related to theft of railway property registered in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, the officer said.

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