Vinod Nagar landlady murder accused held from Punjab after 35 years

After 35 years on the run, a man was arrested for killing his landlady during a robbery in 1991, leaving her son critically injured.

New Delhi: Facing a financial crisis, a 25-year-old man planned to rob his 55-year-old landlady’s house but ended up killing her and leaving her 18-year-old son critically injured in east Delhi’s Vinod Nagar. On the run for nearly 35 years – moving city to city and taking odd jobs – the accused, now aged 60, was finally arrested from Punjab on Friday, an officer said on Saturday.

The accused, who lived as a tenant in the victim’s house, attacked the two with a chopper in 1991 and was declared a proclaimed offender in 1996. (Representative photo)

According to the police, the murder took place in August 1991. “The woman was found unconscious with multiple stab wounds to her neck, while her son had injuries on his face. Both were taken to Lok Nayak Hospital, where the woman succumbed to her injuries, and her son survived,” said DCP (crime) Aditya Gautam.

The accused, who lived as a tenant in the victim’s house, attacked the two with a chopper and was declared a proclaimed offender in 1996.

“The accused was facing financial issues as he couldn’t get a job. He believed that his landlady, whose husband lived abroad, had cash stored at her house. He snuck into her house at night and attacked her and her son when they resisted,” said the DCP.

The officer said the interstate cell of crime branch reopened the case last year and began tracking the accused. Police teams conducted field inquiries in his native village in UP’s Sultanpur and gathered information about his relatives. “Technical surveillance and local inputs pointed to his presence in Ludhiana. His photos were circulated in Ludhiana, ” said the officer.

Police said a staff member at a shopping complex identified the suspect and notified them, and a police team led by ACP Ramesh Lamba and inspector Manmeet Malik raided the location and apprehended him. “He had been on the run for 35 years, shifting between Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Goa and Punjab to evade arrest. He even avoided returning to his native village or attending family functions due to fear of being caught,” the DCP said.

During questioning, the accused admitted to the crime and stated that he had been working as a security guard at a commercial establishment in Ludhiana.

The woman’s son is married and lives abroad. HT was unable to reach him. HT also tried to reach out to the accused’s family, but they didn’t respond.