He killed his brother in the 80s, was released on parole, and had since been absconding, only to be finally caught 36 years later. The incident is from Uttar Pradesh, where Pradeep Kumar Saxena was arrested decades after making changes to his appearance, identity and even religion.
It all began in 1987, when Pradeep, a Bareilly resident, stabbed his brother Sanjeev Saxena, a UPSRTC employee, to death. Pradeep was charged under theft and murder sections, but was granted bail in 1989, two years after the murder.
This is when he vanished, and tracing him became an even more uphill task with Pradeep's family also shifting homes on multiple occasions.
However, the case drew attention once again last month, after the Allahabad high court directed the Bareilly Police to catch Saxena within four weeks and produce him before the court. A special team was constituted on the instructions of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anurag Arya, and thus began a renewed search for Pradeep.
Cops started with questioning Pradeep's family but the approach soon hit a dead-end with most members claiming to not know his whereabouts. However, police reportedly found a lead from Pradeep's brother Suresh, who indicated that the accused might be living in Moradabad under a different identity.
{{/usCountry}}Cops started with questioning Pradeep's family but the approach soon hit a dead-end with most members claiming to not know his whereabouts. However, police reportedly found a lead from Pradeep's brother Suresh, who indicated that the accused might be living in Moradabad under a different identity.
{{/usCountry}}During questioning, Suresh revealed that Pradeep had been living in Moradabad, and was employed as a driver there.
As the investigation continued, cops found out that Pradeep had converted to Islam in 2002 to to keep his true identity under wraps and continue to evade arrest, and was now living as Abdul Rahim. He had grown his beard, wore a kurta pyjama, and had married a widow named Salma, who died in 2023.
However, a part of his old identity still stuck around, with locals in the Katghar area in Moradabad revealing he was known as ‘Saxena driver’.
Upon his arrest, Pradeep alias Abdul Rahim, was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bareilly, and sent to jail on Friday, November 28. During the questioning, Pradeep reportedly confessed to the murder and to evading arrest for decades.
(With inputs from PTI, HT correspondent)