Man arrested from Bihar years after allegedly kidnapping, murdering Delhi boy

Bharat Lal, the accused, changed his identity and managed to get new identification documents to evade arrest

A bus driver has been arrested from Bihar’s Sheohar around 13 years after he allegedly kidnapped and murdered a schoolboy in South Delhi’s Kalkaji, police said on Thursday.

Police said Bharat Lal, the accused, lived under a fake identity. (Getty Images)

Police said Bharat Lal, the accused, changed his identity. He managed to get new identification documents to evade arrest and also worked as a driver in Sheohar. A reward of ₹50,000 was announced for any information leading to his arrest.

Police said Lal will be brought to Delhi and that he was being interrogated to ascertain the exact reason behind the boy’s alleged kidnapping and murder.

Special police commissioner (crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said a woman had filed a complaint with Kalkaji police station saying her son was missing after school.

The woman later got a call from bus conductor Mohammad Dilshad, who informed her that the boy’s bag was with him and they should come to collect it. When they tried to contact him, his phone was switched off.

“The same evening, she filed her son’s missing complaint at the Kalkaji police station, In between, she learnt that the body of a schoolboy was found at railway tracks between Okhla and Tughlaqabad railway stations. She went there and identified the body as that of her son,” said Yadav.

A case of kidnapping and murder was registered. The police investigation pointed to the involvement of Lal and his two associates. The three absconded and could not be found. The other two co-accused remain at large.