Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrests man wanted for 24 years in Rajasthan murder case

Based on a complaint and a subsequent investigation by Rajasthan police, a murder case was registered

The Ahmedabad crime branch arrested a 54-year-old man in Ahmedabad on Sunday who had allegedly been absconding for 24 years in connection with a 2002 murder case registered at Sadri police station in Rajasthan’s Pali district, police said.

Ahmedabad police said the accused was handed over to Rajasthan police on Sunday. (PTI/Representational)

The accused, identified as Dineshbhai Amthabhai Arjanbhai Desai, was wanted in connection with a case registered under various sections, including section 302 (murder), section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Police said Desai had been concealing his identity, working as a daily-wage labourer and moving between different locations during the past 24 years.

Desai, a native of Ucharpi village in Kankrej taluka of Banaskantha district, was residing in an apartment in Ahmedabad’s Vejalpur area and working as a broker when he was arrested, officials said.

According to police, the murder was linked to an ongoing dispute between two brothers over ancestral property and business in Dungli village, under the jurisdiction of Sadri police station.

In 2002, Desai and his associates, including Kishansingh Rajput, Ramjibhai Rabari, Khimaram alias Ramesh Nai and Hirachand Nai, allegedly hatched a conspiracy to kill Delaram Nai and make his death appear to be an accident.

The accused allegedly travelled to Pali in an SUV and, when they saw Nai riding a motorcycle near Dungli Bera Tilawa on the Pali border, they allegedly rammed the vehicle into his motorcycle, killing him, officers said. They abandoned the four-wheeler at the spot and fled, allegedly attempting to pass off the incident as a road accident.

Based on a complaint and a subsequent investigation by Rajasthan police, a murder case was registered.

Desai initially hid in Kankrej in Banaskantha district before moving to Santej in Kalol taluka of Gandhinagar district and later to Vejalpur in Ahmedabad, said Anirudh Jebaliya, a police inspector with the Ahmedabad crime branch.

In Ahmedabad, he kept a low profile and lived with relatives who were involved in land broking, Jebaliya said.

“The Crime Branch was conducting a drive to trace accused who were absconding in cases registered in other states. Desai’s name was on the list. We carried out an investigation using technical surveillance and by speaking to people, which helped us establish his links and trace him. We arrested him from his residence on Sunday. He was living there with his family,” Jebaliya said.

Jebaliya said Desai was handed over to Rajasthan police on Sunday.